GIFT    OF 
JANE  K.SATHER 


THE  DUKE  OF  STOCKBRIDGE 


"I>KSIKK    HKSITATKD,   THEN    ITT    11F.R    IlAM)    IX    HIS." 


THE   DUKE   OF 
STOCKBRIDGE 


A    ROMANCE    OF 
SHATV  REBELLION 


By    EDWARD      BELLAMY 

Author    of  "Looking    Backward" 


SILVER,   BURDETT   AND    COMPANY 
NEW  YORK          BOSTON  CHICAGO 

NINETEEN    HUNDRED 


3*3* 


COPYRIGHT,  1900,  BY 
SILVER,  BURDETT  AND   COMPANY. 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England. 
All  rights  reserved. 


INTRODUCTORY 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  was  written  by  Mr.  Edward 
Bellamy  in  1879,  at  the  request  of  the  editor  of  a 
local  paper  in  Great  Harrington,  Massachusetts.  In 
the  author's  mind  were  already  stirring  the  grave 
questions  which  he  was  soon  to  propound  in  Looking 
Backward-,  and  when  lie  undertook  to  write  a  romance 
of  his  native  Berkshire  Hills  he  chose,  not  unnaturally, 
the  episode  of  the  revolt  of  the 


against  their  liarslLcreditors  and  the^oppressive  State 


jklthotfgh  he  wrote  the  story  primarily  for  publica 
tion  in  an  inconspicuous  village  paper,  Mr.  Bellamy 
was  not  the  artist  to  allow  the  work  to  fall  below  the 
standard  of  his  literary  conscience;  and  as  the  tale 
grew  upon  his  hands  he  soon  was  putting  into  it  the 
rarest  quality  of  his  style,  of  his  genuineness,  and  of 
his  imagination,  as  well  as  the  industry  of  his  pains 
taking  research.  When  the  story  was  completed  he 
refused  the  offers  of  publishers,  and  determined  to  de 
lay  its  appearance  as  a  book  until  after  the  publication 
of  Looking  Backward,  which  now  had  taken  press 
ing  shape  in  his  mind.  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  was 
the  projection  of  his  sympathies  into  the  forms  of  art  ; 
but  he  knew  that,  if  published  then,  it  would  be  re 
ceived  merely  as  a  novel,  and  its  depth  of  meaning 
would  be  perceived  only  by  few.  Therefore  it  seemed 
better  that  this  tale  should  wait  until  he  had  given,  in 
his  next  book,  his  formal  and  unmistakable  definition 
of  proper  human  relationship. 

But  when  Looking  Backward  was  fully  written,  he 
had  become  so  convinced  of  his  own  duty  to  be  the 


vi  Introductory 

advocate  of  the  cooperative  social  system,,  that  in  the 
several  remaining  years  of  his  life  he  never  returned 
to  fiction  as  an  art.  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  thus 
missed  the  final  touches  which  the  author  had  prom 
ised  himself  to  bestow.  Shortly  before  his  death  he 
decided  upon  its  publication ;  and  the  editing,  which 
should  have  been  finished  by  his  own  unerring  taste, 
has  been  carried  on  by  another,  with  sensitiveness,  if 
with  clumsier  hand. 

It  is  with  candid  pride  that  The  Duke  of  Stock- 
bridge  is  presented.  In  the  art  of  its  creations  of 
character,  in  its  truthfulness  of  color,  in  its  sense  of 
the  Yankee,  in  its  convincing  interpretation  of  a  rough 
and  decried  struggle,  it  is  of  assured  degree.  It  is, 
moreover,  unique  as  an  historical  novel  in  that  it  is 
based  not  merely  upon  the  movement  of  romantic  ad 
venture,  but  also  upon  a  significant  social  problem, 
cast  up  by  history,  which  appeals  forever  to  human 
sympathy. 

The  picture  given  of  Shays'  Rebellion  is  a  fresh  one. 
It  is  the  result  of  a  more  intimate  research  among 
both  the  documents  and  the  family  traditions  of  West 
ern  Massachusetts  than  most  of  the  historians  have 
given  to  the  episode.  The  contemporary,  published 
accounts  were  written  by  men  whose  natural  sympa 
thies  were  with  the  governing  classes ;  the  rebels  were 
called  "the  malcontents,"  and  their  audacious  uprising 
against  the  well-to-do  and  stately  grade  of  society  was 
regarded  with  unrelieved  horror.  Washington,  who 
took  his  view  from  General  Lincoln,  and  from  his  own 
correspondents  all  of  whom  were  men  of  quality,  ex 
pressed  an  alarmed  disapproval  of  the  movement, 
although  he  admits  that  the  rebels  comprised  "the 
young  and  active  part  of  the  community."  Jefferson, 
however,  took  far  other  ground ;  he  was  aware  only  of 
the  cruel  conditions  which  seemed  to  be  driving  the 
small  farmers  to  a  condition  inferior  to  that  of  peasantry ; 
and  he  was  actually  exultant  at  the  uprising  on  account 
of  its  inevitable  effect  in  making  the  governments  of 
the  States  respect  the  people. 

Only  a  few  facts  bearing  upon  the  rebellion  need  to 


Introductory  vii 

be  recited.  Von  Hoist  estimates  that  half  the  popula 
tion  of  New  England  was  on  the  side  of  the  insurrec 
tion.  At  one  time,  according  to  General  Lincoln, 
12,000  rebels  were  under  arms.  Captain  Daniel  Shays, 
the  most  prominent  of  the  military  chiefs,  though  by 
no  means  the  general  leader  of  the  mutiny,  was  an 
ex- Revolutionary  officer;  and  a  majority  of  men  in 
the  rebel  ranks  were  former  soldiers  of  the  Revolu 
tion,  descent  from  whom  is  to-day  inestimable,  but 
whose  distinction  at  that  day  was  not  recognized  by 
their  countrymen ;  they  were  nearly  all  impoverished 
through  their  services,  and  in  general  were  considered 
ne'er-do-wells  by  the  thrifty  well-to-do. 

The  indescribable  poverty  of  the  years  after  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  before  the  adoption  of  the 
Constitution  and  the  beginning  of  our  present  govern 
ment  (1783-1789),  is  indicated  by  a  few  facts.  Trade 
had  not  revived ;  we  were  producing  little  that  the  out 
side  world  wanted;  we  were  sending  our  gold  abroad 
with  a  ruinous  balance,  for  our  imports  were  three  times 
greater  than  our  exports.  Consequently,  the  small 
amount  of  gold  in  the  country  had  left  the  interior  for 
the  sea-ports,  and  from  there  it  was  rapidly  sailing 
away.  The  paper  money  was  not  worth  anything. 
Most  transactions  were  in  the  exchange  medium  of 
farm  products ;  the  editor  of  the  Worcester  Spy  took 
subscriptions  in  salt  pork ;  in  Virginia  tobacco  was  the 
chief  medium,  and  in  North  Carolina,  whisky. 

When  the  ground  was  fertile  and  the  forests  almost 
free,  families  might  not  have  to  starve  or  shiver,  even 
under  such  conditions.  But  seeds  and  tools  had  to  be 
bought,  and  specie  was  the  ultimate  charge.  Most  of 
all,  taxes  had  to  be  paid,  and  pork  and  hay  could  not 
be  accepted  by  the  government.  During  these  years 
the  annual  tax  in  Massachusetts  amounted  to  $200 
per  family, — more  money  than  the  average  farmer  or 
mechanic  saw  in  two  years. 

The  chief  industry,  therefore,  was  the  law ;  the  courts 
were  concerned  in  emptying  farmers'  houses  under 
foreclosures,  and  in  filling  the  jails  with  good  men  who 
could  not  pay  their  debts — unless,  indeed,  their  credi- 


viii  Introductory 

tors  gave  them  the  privilege  of  working  their  debts  on 
account,  in  virtual  serfdom. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  Massachusetts  when 
the  exasperated  people  began  to  empty  the  jails  of  their 
friends  and  neighbors,  to  stop  the  courts  which  were 
breaking  up  society  by  due  process  of  law,  and  to  de 
mand  some  financial  relief  from  the  State  government. 
Their  own  theories  of  relief  were  crude  and  short 
sighted;  they  knew  nothing  of  finance  and  political 
economy ;  but  they  had  borne  the  strain  of  the  war  for 
independence,  and  they  argued  that  there  had  followed 
a  more  crushing  oppression  than  that  of  King  George. 

The  rebellion  was  soon  stopped  by  government 
troops  and  by  the  law-respecting  habit  of  the  New 
England  mind;  but  its  significance  was  apprehended 
very  seriously  throughout  all  the  neighboring  States. 
It  was  a  bloody  object  lesson  of  the  results  to  be  ex 
pected  from  the  anarchy  of  the  loose  Confederation; 
and  it  was  the  final  argument  with  many  minds  for  the 
need  of  a  strong  national  government  which  could 
manage  the  finances  of  the  whole  country  and  make 
prosperity  possible. 

It  should  be  added  that  Captain  Hamlin  and  several 
other  characters  in  the  romance  were  real  personages 
who  played  their  parts  in  this  singular  revolt. 

Francis  Bellamy. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  L 

PAGE 

THE  MARCH  OF  THE  MINUTE-MEN, i 

CHAPTER  II. 
NINE  YEARS  AFTER, 12 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  TAVERN-JAIL  AT  HARRINGTON, 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  PEOPLE  ASK  BREAD  AND  RECEIVE  A  STONE,        .        .        .43 

CHAPTER  V. 
THAT  MEANS  REBELLION  ! 58 

CHAPTER  VI. 
PEREZ  DEFINES  His  POSITION, 69 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  FIRST  ENCOUNTER, 81 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
GREAT  GOINGS-ON  AT  HARRINGTON 90 

CHAPTER  IX. 
JUDGE  DWIGHT'S  SIGNATURE, 98 

IX 


x  Contents 

CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

THE  TAKING  OF  THE  JAIL,   ........  106 

CHAPTER  XI. 
WHAT  THE  JAIL  HELD,        .        .        .  «     .        .        .        .        .  115 

CHAPTER  XII. 
A  FAIR  SUPPLIANT, 127 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  PRAISE  MEETING,      .        . 143 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
PEREZ  GOES  TO  MEETING, 154 

CHAPTER  XV. 
WHAT  HAPPENED  AFTER  MEETING, 166 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
AN  AUCTION  SALE  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES,        ....  179 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
PLOTS  AND  COUNTERPLOTS,         . 197 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
LEX  TALIONIS ,        .        .216 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE  DUKE  OF  STOCKBRIDGE,       .        .        .        .        .        .        .231 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Two  CRITICAL  INTERVIEWS, .  245 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  HUSKING  PARTY,        .        .       .       •       .        •        •        .  263 


Contents  xi 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

PAGE 

Two  PROCLAMATIONS, 278 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
SNOWBOUND,         ..........  293 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
THE  BATTLE  OF  WEST  STOCKBRIDGE, 308 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
A  GAME  OF  BLUFF, 324 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE  RESTORATION,      .        . 342 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
THE  END  OF  THE  FIGHT, 356 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


"  DESIRE  HESITATED,  THEN  PUT  HER  HAND  IN  HIS  "  .  Frontispiece 

"'I   CAME  TO   BID  YOU   GOOD-BYE,   PEREZ  '"     .           .  Facing  page     IO 

"BEMENT  APPEALED  FOR  MERCY  TO  THE  MEN"    .  u        112 

"  DESIRE  GAVE  NOT  THE  FAINTEST  SIGN  OF  REC 
OGNITION"       .  •         174 


THE  DUKE  OF  STOCKBRIDGE 


CHAPTER   I. 

The  March  of  the  Minute-Men 

THE  first  beams  of  the  sun  of  August  17,  1777,  were 
glancing  down  the  long  valley  which,  opening  to  the 
east,  let  in  the  early  rays  of  morning  upon  the  village 
of  Stockbridge.  The  Housatonic  River  crept  still  and 
darkling  around  the  beetling  base  of  Fisher's  Nest, 
and  in  the  meadows  laughed  above  its  pebbly  shoals, 
entwining  the  verdant  fields  with  many  a  loving  curve. 
The  mountains  cradled  the  valley  in  their  eternal  em 
brace,  all  around,  from  the  Hill  of  the  Wolves  on  the 
north,  to  the  peaks  that  guarded  the  Ice  Glen,  away  to 
the  far  southeast.  Many  a  lake  and  pond  gemmed  the 
landscape,  and  many  a  brook  hung  like  a  burnished 
silver  chain  upon  the  verdant  slopes. 

The  main  settlement  was  along  a  street  lying  east 
and  west,  across  the  plain  which  extended  from  the 
Housatonic,  northerly  some  distance,  to  the  foot  of  a 
hill.  The  village  green,  or  "  smooth,"  lay  rather  at  the 
western  end  of  the  village  than  at  the  centre.  At  this 
point  the  main  street  intersected  with  the  county  road, 
leading  north  and  south,  and  with  divers  other  paths 
and  lanes,  leading  in  crooked,  rambling  lines  to  several 
points  of  the  compass,  sometimes  ending  at  a  single 
dwelling,  sometimes  at  clusters  of  several  buildings. 
On  the  hill  to  the  north,  somewhat  separated  from  the 
i 


2.   .;         The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

settlement  on  the  plain,  were  a  number  of  houses, 
erected  there  during  the  recent  French  and  Indian 
wars,  for  the  sake  of  being  near  the  fort,  which  was 
now  used  as  a  parsonage  by  the  Reverend  Stephen  West, 
the  young  minister.  The  streets  were  all  wide  and 
grassy,  wholly  without  shade  trees,  and  bordered  for 
the  most  part  by  rail  fences  or  stone  walls.  The 
houses,  separated  by  intervals  of  broad  meadows,  were 
rarely  over  a  story  and  a  half  in  height.  When  painted 
at  all,  the  favorite  colors  were  red,  brown,  or  yellow, 
the  effect  of  which  lent  a  certain  picturesqueness  to  the 
landscape,  wholly  outside  any  design  on  the  part  of  the 
practically  minded  inhabitants. 

Interspersed  among  the  houses,  and  occurring  more 
thickly  in  the  south  and  west  parts  of  the  village,  were 
curious  huts,  as  much  like  wigwams  as  houses.  These 
were  the  dwellings  of  the  Christianized  and  civilized 
Stockbridge  Indians,  the  original  possessors  of  the  soil, 
who  lived  intermingled  with  the  whites  on  terms  of  the 
most  utter  comity,  fully  sharing  the  offices  of  church 
and  town,  and  fighting  the  battles  of  the  common 
wealth  side  by  side  with  the  white  militia. 

Around  the  village  green  stood  the  public  buildings 
of  the  place.  There  was  the  tavern,  a  low,  two-story 
building,  without  porch  or  piazza,  and  entered  by  a 
door  in  the  middle  of  the  longest  side.  Over  the  door 
swung  a  sign,  on  which  a  former  likeness  of  King 
George  had,  by  a  metamorphosis  common  at  that  pe 
riod,  been  transformed  into  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu 
tion,  in  Continental  uniform  of  buff  and  blue.  But  just 
at  that  time  its  contemplation  did  not  afford  the  patri 
otic  tippler  as  much  complacency  as  formerly,  for  Bur- 
goyne  was  thundering  at  the  passes  of  the  Hoosacs, 
only  fifty  miles  away ;  and  there  was  a  prospect  that 


The  March  of  the  Minute-Men          3 

King  George  might  get  his  red  coat  back  again  after 
all.  The  tories  in  the  village  said  that  the  landlord 
kept  a  pot  of  red  paint  behind  the  door,  so  that  the 
Hessian  dragoons  might  not  take  him  by  surprise, 
should  they  come  galloping  down  the  valley  some  af 
ternoon. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  green  was  the  meeting 
house,  built  some  thirty  years  before  by  a  grant  from 
government  at  Boston.  Hard  by  the  meeting-house 
was  the  graveyard,  with  the  sandy  knoll  in  its  south 
west  corner,  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  Indians.  The 
whipping-post,  the  stocks,  and  cage,  for  the  summary 
correction  of  such  offences  as  came  within  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  Justice  Jahleel  Woodbridge,  adorned  the  middle 
of  the  village  green,  and  on  Saturday  afternoons  were 
usually  the  centre  of  a  crowd  assembled  to  be  edified 
by  the  execution  of  sentences. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  green  from  the  meeting 
house  stood  the  store,  built  five  years  before  by  Timo 
thy  Edwards,  Esquire ;  it  was  a  structure  of  a  story  and 
a  half,  with  the  unusual  architectural  adornment  of  a 
front  porch,  or  piazza,  the  only  one  to  be  seen  in  the 
village.  The  people  of  Stockbridge  were  scarcely  more 
proud  of  the  theology  of  their  late  shepherd,  the  famous 
Doctor  Jonathan  Edwards,  than  they  were  of  his  son 
Timothy's  store.  Indeed,  what  with  Doctor  Edwards  so 
lately  among  them,  Doctor  Hopkins,  then  at  Great  Bar- 
rington,  and  Doctor  Bellamy,  just  over  the  State  line  in 
Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  the  people  of  Berkshire  were 
decidedly  more  familiar  with  theologians  than  with 
storekeepers,  for  when  Mr.  Edwards  built  his  store,  in 
1 7  7  2,  it  was  the  only  one  in  the  county.  It  will  be  readily 
understood  that  at  such  a  time  a  commercial  occupation 
served  rather  as  a  distinction  than  otherwise.  Squire 


4  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Edwards  was,  moreover,  chairman  of  the  selectmen, 
and,  furthermore,  most  of  the  farmers  were  in  his  debt 
for  supplies ;  while  to  these  varied  elements  of  influ 
ence  his  ecclesiastical  ancestry  added  a  certain  odor  of 
sanctity.  It  is  true  that  Squire  Jahleel  Woodbridge 
was  even  more  brilliantly  descended,  counting  two  co 
lonial  governors  and  numerous  divines  among  his 
ancestry.  But  instead  of  tending  to  a  profitless  rivalry, 
the  respective  claims  of  the  Edwardses  and  the  Wood- 
bridges  to  distinction  were  happily  merged  by  the 
marriage  of  Jahleel  Woodbridge  and  Lucy  Edwards, 
the  sister  of  Squire  Timothy,  so  that  in  all  social  and 
political  matters  the  two  families  were  closely  al 
lied. 

The  back  room  of  the  store  was,  in  a  sense,  the  coun 
cil  chamber,  where  the  affairs  of  the  village  were  de 
bated  and  settled  by  the  local  magnates,  whose  deci 
sions  the  common  people  never  dreamed  of  anticipating 
or  questioning.  It  was  also  a  convivial  center,  a  sort 
of  club-room.  There  of  an  afternoon  often  assembled 
Squire  Woodbridge  and  Squire  Williams,  Elisha  Brown, 
Deacon  Nash,  Squire  Edwards,  and  perhaps  a  few  oth 
ers,  relaxing  their  gravity  over  generous  bumpers  of 
some  choice  old  Jamaica  rum  which  Squire  Edwards 
had  luckily  laid  in  just  before  the  war  stopped  all  im 
ports.  In  the  west  half  of  the  store  building  Squire 
Edwards  lived  with  his  family,  including  besides  his 
wife  and  children  the  remainder  of  his  father's  fam 
ily  and  that  of  his  sister,  the  widow  of  President 
Burr.  Young  Aaron  Burr  was  there  for  a  while,  after 
his  graduation  at  Princeton  and  during  the  intervals  of 
his  arduous  theological  studies  at  Bethlehem.  Per 
chance  there  were  heartsore  maidens  in  the  village 
who,  to  their  sorrow,  could  have  given  more  particular 


The  March  of  the  Minute-Men          5 

information  of  the  exploits  of  the  fascinating  Aaron  at 
this  period  than  I  am  able  to  record. 

Such  was  the  village  of  Stockbridge  as  the  sun  of 
that  August  morning  disclosed  it  to  view.  But  where 
were  the  people?  It  was  seven,  yes,  nearly  eight 
o'clock,  and  no  human  being  could  be  seen  walking  in 
the  streets,  or  traveling  in  the  roads,  or  working  in 
the  fields.  Had  the  village  been  deserted  by  the  popu 
lation  through  fear  of  the  Hessian  marauders,  the 
threat  of  whose  coming  had  long  hung  like  a  porten 
tous  cloud  over  the  Berkshire  valley?  Not  at  all.  It 
was  not  the  fear  of  man,  but  the  fear  of  God  that  had 
laid  a  spell  upon  the  place.  It  was  the  Sabbath,  and 
law  and  conscience  had  set  their  double  seal  on  every 
door,  that  neither  man,  woman,  nor  child  might  go 
forth  until  sunset,  save  at  the  summons  of  the  meeting 
house  bell.  One  might  have  wandered  all  the  way 
from  the  parsonage  on  the  hill  to  Captain  Konkapot's 
hut  on  the  Barrington  road  without  meeting  a  soul, 
though  the  windows  would  have  shown  a  scandalized 
face  framed  in  each  seven-by-nine  pane  of  glass.  Such 
a  leisurely  wanderer  would  have  met  no  one,  I  repeat, 
unless,  passing  the  hut  of  Jehoiachim  Naunumpetox, 
the  Indian  tithing-man,  that  worthy  had  espied  him, 
which  would  have  been  to  the  exceeding  discomfiture  of 
the  wayfarer,  for  he  would  have  been  straightway  haled 
before  John  Schebuck,  the  constable,  and  there  had  his 
flesh  grievously  corrected  with  stripes  for  Sabbath- 
breaking,  and  caused  to  sit  in  the  stocks  for  an  en- 
sample. 

And  if  so  mild  an  excursion  had  involved  so  dire  a 
risk,  what  momentous  event  could  have  been  the  cause 
of  the  unseemly  and  desperate  haste  of  a  horseman 
who  came  at  a  thundering  gallop,  about  eight  of  the 


6  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

clock  that  morning,  along  the  county  road  from  Pitts- 
field?  His  horse  was  in  a  foaming  sweat,  the  strained 
nostrils  were  filled  with  blood,  and  the  congested  eyes 
protruded  as  if  they  would  leap  from  their  sockets  to 
be  at  their  goal.  The  horseman  pulled  rein  before 
Squire  Woodbridge's  two-story  red  house,  and  leav 
ing  his  steed  with  hanging  head  and  laboring  sides, 
dragged  his  own  stiffened  legs  up  the  walk  and  entered 
the  house.  Almost  instantly  Squire  Woodbridge  him 
self  issued  from  the  door,  dressed  for  church  in  a  three- 
cornered  black  hat,  a  fine  black  coat,  waistcoat,  knee 
breeches,  white  silk  stockings,  and  silver  buckles  on  his 
shoes ;  but  in  his  hand,  instead  of  a  Bible,  was  a  mus 
ket.  As  he  stepped  out,  the  door  of  a  house  farther 
east  opened,  and  another  man  similarly  attired  ap 
peared,  also  with  a  gun  in  his  hand.  He,  too,  seemed 
to  have  interpreted  the  meaning  of  the  horseman's 
arrival.  This  was  Deacon  Nash.  Beckoning  the  dea 
con  to  follow,  Squire  Woodbridge  walked  out  to  the 
edge  of  the  green,  raised  his  musket  to  his  shoulder 
and  discharged  it  into  the  air.  Deacon  Nash,  coming 
up  a  moment  later,  also  raised  and  fired  his  gun ;  and 
before  the  last  echoes  had  ceased  to  reverberate  from 
the  mountains,  Squire  Edwards,  musket  in  hand,  threw 
open  the  door  of  his  store,  and  stepping  out  on  the 
porch,  fired  a  third  gun. 

An  instant  and  striking  change  was  wrought  in  every 
household,  as  the  successive  reports  of  the  heavily 
charged  pieces  sounded  through  the  village  and  pene 
trated  to  the  farthest  outlying  farmhouse.  The  first 
shot  might  easily  have  been  an  accident,  the  second 
also,  but  as  the  third  shot  inexorably  followed,  hus 
bands  and  wives,  brothers  and  sisters,  parents  and  sons 
looked  at  each  other  with  blanched  faces,  and  in- 


The  March  of  the  Minute-Men          7 

stantly  the  scenes  of  quiet  preparation  for  church  were 
transformed  into  the  confusion  of  a  very  different  kind 
of  preparation.  Catechisms  were  dropped  for  mus 
kets,  and  Bibles  fell  unnoticed  under  foot  as  men  sprang 
for  their  haversacks  and  powder  horns.  For  those 
three  guns  summoned  the  minute-men  to  be  on  the 
march  for  Bennington.  All  the  afternoon  before,  the 
roar  of  cannon  had  faintly  sounded  from  the  north 
ward,  and  the  people  knew  that  Stark  was  meeting 
Baum  and  his  Hessians  on  the  Hoosac.  One  detach 
ment  of  Stockbridge  men  was  already  with  him.  Did 
this  new  summons  mean  disaster?  Had  the  dreaded 
foe  made  good  his  boasted  invincibility?  No  one  knew, 
not  even  the  exhausted  messenger,  for  he  had  been 
sent  off  by  Stark,  while  yet  the  issue  of  the  battle  of 
the  day  before  trembled  in  the  balance. 

"It's  kind  o'  suddin.  I  wuz  in  hopes  the  boys 
wouldn't  hev  to  go,  bein'  ez  they  wuz  a-fightin'  yister- 
day,"  quavered  old  Elnathan  Hamlin  as  he  trotted 
about,  helplessly  trying  to  help  and  only  hindering  Mrs. 
Hamlin,  as  with  white  face  but  deft  hands  and  quick 
eyes  she  was  getting  her  two  boys  ready,  filling  their 
haversacks,  sewing  a  button  on  here,  tightening  a 
buckle  there,  and  looking  to  everything. 

"Ye  must  take  keer  o'  Reub,  Perez.  He  ain't  so 
rugged  's  you  be.  By  rights  he  ought  to  ha'  stayed  to 
hum." 

"  Oh,  I'm  as  stout  as  Perez.  I  can  wrastle  him. 
Don't  fret  about  me,"  said  Reuben,  with  attempted 
gayety,  though  his  boyish  lip  quivered  as  he  looked  at 
his  mother's  face,  noting  how  she  did  not  meet  his  eye 
lest  she  should  lose  her  self-control  and  not  be  able  to 
do  anything  more. 

"I'll  look  after  the  boy,  never  fear,"  said  Perez,  slap- 


8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

ping  his  brother  on  the  back.  "I'll  fetch  him  back  a 
general,  as  big  a  man  as  Squire  Woodbridge." 

"  I  dunno  what  'n  time  I  shall  dew  'bout  gittin'  in  the 
crops,"  whimpered  Elnathan;  "I  can't  dew  it  alone, 
nohow.  Seem's  if  my  rheumatiz  wuz  wuss'n  ever  this 
last  spell  o'  weather." 

"There  go  Abner  Rathbun  and  George  Fennell," 
cried  Perez.  "  Time  we  were  off.  Good-bye,  mother. 
There!  there!  don't  you  cry.  We'll  be  back  all  right. 
Got  your  gun,  Reub?  Good-bye,  father.  Come  on!" 
and  the  boys  were  off. 

In  seeming  sympathy  with  the  sudden  grief  that  had 
fallen  on  the  village,  the  bright  promise  of  the  early 
morning  had  given  place  in  the  last  hour  to  one  of 
those  sudden  rain  storms  to  which  a  mountainous  re 
gion  is  always  liable,  and  a  cold  drizzle  began  to  fall. 
But  that  did  not  hinder  every  one  who  had  friends 
among  the  departing  soldiers,  or  sympathy  with  the 
cause  represented,  from  gathering  on  the  green  to 
witness  the  muster  and  march  of  the  men.  All  the 
leading  men  and  the  officials  of  the  town  and  parish 
were  there,  including  the  two  Indian  selectmen,  Jo 
hannes  Metoxin  and  Joseph  Sauquesquot.  Squire  Ed- 
Wards,  Deacon  Nash,  Squire  Williams,  and  Captain 
Josiah  Jones,  brother-in-law  of  Squire  Woodbridge, 
went  about  among  the  tearful  groups,  of  one  of  which 
each  soldier  was  a  center,  reassuring  and  encouraging 
both  those  who  went  and  those  who  remained;  the 
former  with  the  promise  that  their  wives  and  children 
should  be  looked  after  and  cared  for,  the  latter  with 
confident  talk  of  victory  and  speedy  reunions. 

Squire  Edwards  told  Elnathan,  who  with  Mrs.  Ham- 
lin  went  down  to  the  green,  that  he  needn't  fret  about 
the  mortgage  on  his  house,  and  Deacon  Nash  added 


The  March  of  the  Minute-Men          9 

that  he  would  see  that  his  crops  were  saved;  while 
George  Fennell,  who  stood  by  with  his  wife  and  daugh 
ter,  was  assured  by  the  squire  that  the  little  family 
should  have  what  they  needed  from  the  store.  There 
was  not  a  plowboy  among  the  minute-men  who  was  not 
honored  that  day  with  a  cordial  word  or  two,  or  at  least 
a  smile,  from  the  magnates  who  never  before  had  rec 
ognized  his  existence. 

And  proud  in  her  tears  that  morning  was  the  girl 
who  had  a  sweetheart  among  the  soldiers.  Shy  dam 
sels,  who  for  fear  of  being  laughed  at  had  kept  their 
inclinations  secret,  now  grew  suddenly  bold  and  wept 
as  they  talked  with  their  lovers,  and  refused  not  the 
parting  kiss.  Desire  Edwards,  the  squire's  daughter, 
as  she  moved  among  the  groups  and  saw  those  fond 
farewells,  was  stirred  with  sudden  envy  and  a  vague 
longing  for  a  lover  of  her  own,  to  whom  she  might 
give  as  tender  a  parting  embrace  as  those  bestowed  by 
maids  of  lesser  degree  upon  their  rustic  sweethearts. 
But  she  was  only  fifteen,  and  moreover,  she  was  Squire 
Edwards's  daughter,  to  whom  no  village  swain  dared 
pretend.  Then  she  bethought  herself  that  one  had, 
timidly  enough,  so  pretended.  She  well  knew  that 
Elnathan  Hamlin's  son,  Perez,  was  deeply  in  love  with 
her.  He  was  better  bred  than  the  other  boys,  but 
after  all  he  was  only  a  farmer's  son ;  and  while  pleased 
with  her  conquest  of  him  as  a  testimony  to  her  immature 
charms,  she  had  looked  down  upon  him  as  quite  an  in 
ferior  order  of  being  to  herself.  But  just  then  he  ap 
peared  to  her  in  the  desirable  light  of  somebody  to  bid 
good-bye  to,  so  that  she  might  seem  to  be  no  whit  be 
hind  the  other  girls  whom  she  envied.  So  she  looked 
about  for  Perez. 

And   he,    on  his  part,  was    looking  about  for  her. 


io  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

That  she,  the  squire's  daughter,  as  far  above  him  as  a 
star,  would  care  whether  he  went  or  stayed,  or  would 
come  to  say  good-bye  to  him,  he  had  scarcely  ventured 
to  think.  And  yet  how  deeply  had  that  thought,  which 
he  hardly  dared  to  own,  tinged  all  his  other  thinking! 
The  martial  glory  that  so  dazzled  his  young  imagina 
tion,  how  much  of  its  glitter  was  but  reflected  from  a 
girl's  eyes!  As  he  looked  about,  and  not  seeing  her, 
thought,  "She  does  not  care,  she  will  not  come,"  the 
pomp  of  war  lost  all  its  excitement,  and  his  dreams  of 
self-devotion  all  their  exhilaration. 

"  I  came  to  bid  you  good-bye,  Perez,"  said  a  soft,  clear 
voice  behind  him. 

He  wheeled  about,  red,  confused,  blissful.  Desire 
Edwards,  dark  and  sparkling  as  a  gipsy,  stood  before 
him  with  her  hand  outstretched.  He  took  it  eagerly, 
timidly.  The  little  white  fingers  gently  pressed  his  big 
brown  ones,  which  scarcely  felt  them,  for  they  seemed 
to  be  clasping  his  heart,  and  it  was  there  that  he  felt 
the  ecstatic  pressure. 

"Fall  in!"  shouted  Captain  Woodbridge,  for  the 
squire  himself  was  their  captain.  There  was  a  tumult 
of  embraces  and  kisses  all  around.  Reuben  kissed  his 
mother  once  more. 

"Will  you  kiss  me  good-bye,  Desire?"  said  Perez 
huskily,  carried  beyond  himself,  scarcely  knowing  what 
he  said;  for  if  he  had  realized,  he  never  would  have 
dared. 

Desire  looked  about  and  saw  all  the  women  kissing 
their  men.  The  air  was  electric. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  and  gave  him  her  red  lips,  and  for 
a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  the  earth  had  gone  from  un 
der  his  feet.  The  next  thing  he  knew  he  was  standing 
in  line,  with  Reub  on  one  side  and  George  Fennell  on 


I    CAME   TO   BID   YOU    GOOD-BYE,    PEREZ.' 


The  March  of  the  Minute-Men        1 1 

the  other,  and  Abner  Rathbtm's  six  feet  three  towering 
at  one  end  of  the  line,  while  Parson  West  was  standing 
on  the  piazza  of  the  store,  praying  for  the  blessing  of 
God  on  the  expedition. 

"Amen,"  the  parson  said,  and  Captain  Woodbridge's 
voice  rang  out  again.  The  lines  faced  to  the  right, 
filed  off  the  green  at  quick  step,  turned  into  the  Pitts- 
field  road,  and  left  the  women  to  their  tears. 


CHAPTER   II. 
Nine  Years  After 

EARLY  one  evening  near  the  end  of  August,  1786, 
only  three  years  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  a  dozen  or  twenty  men  and  boys,  farmers  and 
laborers,  were  gathered,  according  to  custom,  in  the 
big  barroom  of  Stockbridge  tavern.  The  great  fire 
place  of  course  showed  no  cheery  blaze  of  logs  at  this 
season,  and  the  only  light  was  the  dim  and  yellow 
illumination  diffused  by  two  or  three  home-made  tallow 
candles  stuck  about  the  bar,  which  ran  along  half  of 
one  side  of  the  apartment.  The  dim  glimmer  of  some 
pewter  mugs  standing  on  a  shelf  behind  the  bar  was 
the  only  spot  of  reflected  light  in  the  room,  whose  time- 
stained,  impainted  woodwork,  dingy  plastering  and  low 
ceiling,  thrown  into  shadows  by  the  rude  and  massive 
cross-beams,  seemed  capable  of  swallowing  up  without 
a  sign  ten  times  the  illumination  that  was  provided. 
The  faces  of  four  or  five  men,  standing  near  the  bar  or 
lounging  on  it,  were  quite  plainly  visible,  and  the 
forms  of  half  a  dozen  more  who  were  seated  on  a  long 
settle  placed  against  the  opposite  wall,  were  dimly  to 
be  seen ;  while  in  the  back  part  of  the  room,  leaning 
against  the  posts  or  walls  or  standing  in  the  open  door 
way,  a  dozen  or  more  figures  loomed  indistinctly  out  of 
the  darkness. 

The  tavern,  it  must  be  remembered,  as  a  convivial 
resort  was  the  social  antipodes  of  the  back  room  of 


Nine  Years  After  13 

Squire  Edwards's  store.  If  one  wished  to  consort  with 
silk-stockinged,  bewigged,  and  silver-shoe-buckled 
gentlemen,  he  must  step  over  there,  for  at  the  tavern 
were  to  be  found  only  the  hewers  of  wood  and  the 
drawers  of  water,  mechanics,  farm-laborers,  and  farm 
ers.  Ezra  Phelps  and  Israel  Goodrich,  the  former  the 
owner  of  the  new  grist-mill  at  Mill  Hollow,  a  mile 
west  of  the  village,  the  other  a  substantial  farmer,  with 
their  corduroy  coats  and  knee-breeches,  blue  woolen 
hose  and  steel  shoe-buckles,  were  the  most  socially 
considerable  and  respectably  attired  persons  present. 

Perhaps  about  half  the  men  and  boys  were  bare 
footed,  according  to  the  economical  custom  of  a  time 
when  shoes  in  summer  were  regarded  as  luxuries,  not 
necessities.  The  costume  of  most  was  limited  to  shirt 
and  trousers,  the  material  for  which  their  own  hands 
or  those  of  their  women-folk  had  sheared,  spun,  wov 
en,  and  dyed.  Some  of  the  better-dressed  wore  trous 
ers  of  blue-and-white  striped  stuff,  of  the  kind  nowa 
days  exclusively  used  for  bed-ticking.  The  leathern 
breeches,  which  several  years  before  were  universal, 
were  still  worn  by  a  few,  in  spite  of  their  discomfort  in 
summer. 

Behind  the  bar  sat  Widow  Bingham,  the  landlady,  a 
buxom,  middle-aged  woman,  whose  sharp  black  eyes 
had  lost  none  of  their  snap,  whether  she  entertained  a 
customer  with  a  little  pleasant  gossip,  or  explored  with 
her  keen  glance  the  murky  recesses  of  the  room  about 
the  door,  where  she  well  knew  sundry  old  customers 
were  lurking,  made  cowards  of  by  consciousness  of  long 
unsettled  scores  upon  her  slate.  And  whenever  she 
looked  with  special  fixity  into  the  darkness  there  was 
soon  a  scuttling  of  somebody  out  of  doors. 

She  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  the  conversation  of 


14  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

the  men  around  the  bar.  Being  largely  political,  it 
might  be  expected  to  have  the  less  interest  for  one  of 
the  domestic  sex,  and,  moreover,  it  was  the  same  old 
story  she  had  been  obliged  to  hear  over  and  over  every 
evening,  with  little  variation,  for  a  year  or  two  past. 

For  in  those  days,  throughout  Massachusetts,  at  home, 
in  the  tavern,  in  the  field,  on  the  road,  in  the  street, 
as  they  rose  up  and  as  they  sat  down,  men  talked  of 
nothing  but  the  hard  times,  the  limited  markets,  and 
low  prices  for  farm  produce,  the  extortions  and  multi 
plying  numbers  of  the  lawyers  and  sheriffs,  the  op 
pressions  of  creditors,  the  enormous,  grinding  taxes, 
the  last  sheriff's  sale,  and  who  would  be  sold  out  next, 
the  last  batch  of  debtors  taken  to  jail  and  who  would 
go  there  next,  the  utter  dearth  of  money  of  any  sort, 
the  impossibility  of  getting  work,  the  gloomy  and  hope 
less  prospect  for  the  coming  winter,  and,  in  general, 
the  wretched  failure  of  the  military  triumph  of  the  col 
onies  to  bring  about  the  public  and  private  prosperity 
so  confidently  expected. 

The  air  of  the  room  was  thick  with  smoke,  for  most 
of  the  men  were  smoking  clay  or  corncob  pipes ;  but 
the  smoke  was  scarcely  recognizable  as  that  of  tobacco, 
so  largely  was  that  expensive  weed  mixed  with  dried 
sweet-fern  and  other  herbs,  for  the  sake  of  economy. 

Of  the  score  or  two  persons  present,  only  two,  Israel 
Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps,  were  actually  drinking  any 
thing.  It  was  not  that  they  were  the  only  ones  dis 
posed  to  drink,  as  the  thirsty  looks  that  followed  the 
mugs  to  their  lips  sufficiently  testified,  but  because 
they  alone  had  credit  at  the  bar.  Ezra  furnished  Mrs. 
Bingham  with  meal  from  his  mill,  and  drank  against 
the  credit  thus  created ;  while  Israel  supplied  the  land 
lady  with  potatoes  on  the  same  understanding.  There 


Nine  Years  After  15 

being  practically  almost  no  money  in  circulation,  most 
kinds  of  trade  were  dependent  on  such  arrangements 
of  barter.  Meshech  Little,  the  carpenter,  who  lay  dead 
drunk  on  the  floor,  his  clothing  covered  with  the  sand 
which  it  had  gathered  up  while  he  was  being  uncere 
moniously  rolled  out  of  the  way,  was  a  victim  of  one  of 
these  arrangements,  having  just  taken  his  pay  in  rum 
for  a  little  job  of  tinkering  about  the  tavern. 

"Meshech  hain't  hed  a  stiddy  job  since  the  new 
meetin'-haouse  wuz  done  last  year,  an'  I  s'pose  the  crit 
ter  feels  kind  o'  diskerridged  like,"  said  Abner  Rath- 
bun,  regarding  the  prostrate  figure  sympathetically. 
Abner  had  grown  an  inch  and  broadened  proportion 
ately  since  Squire  Woodbridge  made  him  file  leader  of 
the  minute-men  by  virtue  of  his  six  feet  three,  and  as 
he  stood  with  his  back  to  the  bar,  resting  his  elbows 
on  it,  the  room  would  not  have  been  high  enough  for 
his  head,  but  that  he  stood  between  the  cross-beams. 

"I  s'pose  Meshech's  fam'ly'll  hev  to  go  onto  the 
taown,"  observed  Israel  Goodrich.  "They  say  ez  the 
poorhaouse's  twice  ez  full's  it  ought  to  be,  naow." 

"  It'll  hev  more  into  it  'fore  't  hez  less,"  said  Abner 
grimly. 

"  Got  any  work  yet,  Abner?  I  hearn  ye  wuz  up  Len 
ox  way,  a-lookin'  fer  suthin'  ter  dew,"  inquired  Pel  eg 
Bidwell,  a  lank,  loose-jointed  farmer,  who  was  leaning 
against  a  post  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  just  on  the 
edge  of  the  circle  of  candle-light. 

"  A  feller  ez  goes  arter  work  goes  on  a  fool's  errant," 
responded  Abner  dejectedly.  "  There  ain't  no  work 
nowhere,  an'  a  feller  might  just  ez  well  set  down  to 
hum  an'  wait  till  the  sheriff  comes  arter  him." 

"  The  only  work  that  pays  nowadays  is  picking  the 
bones  of  the  people.  Why  don't  you  turn  lawyer  or 


16  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

deputy  sheriff,  and  take  to  that,  Abner? "  asked  Paul 
Hubbard,  an  undersized  man,  with  a  dark  face  and 
thin,  sneering  lips. 

He  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  Continental  army, 
and  used  rather  better  language  than  the  country  folk 
ordinarily,  which,  as  well  as  a  cynical  wit  which  agreed 
with  the  embittered  popular  temper,  gave  him  consid 
erable  influence.  Since  the  war  he  had  been  foreman 
of  Colonel  Williams 's  iron- works  at  West  Stockbridge. 
There  was  great  distress  among  the  workmen  on  ac 
count  of  the  stoppage  of  the  works  by  reason  of  the 
hard  times,  but  Hubbard,  as  well  as  most  of  the  men, 
still  remained  at  that  place,  simply  because  there  was 
no  encouragement  to  go  elsewhere. 

"  What  I  can't  make  aout  is  that  the  lawyers  an'  sher 
iffs  sh'd  git  so  darn  fat  a-pickin  'our  bones,  seein'  ez 
there's  sech  a  little  meat  onto  us,"  said  Abner,  by  way 
of  rejoinder  to  Paul's  remark. 

"  There's  as  much  meat  on  squirrels  as  bears — if  you 
have  enough  of  'em,"  replied  Hubbard.  "  They  pick 
clean,  you  see,  and  take  all  we've  got,  and  every  little 
helps." 

"Yas,"  assented  Abner,  "they  do  pick  tarnation 
clean,  but  that  ain't  the  wust  on't,  for  they  send  our 
bones  to  rot  in  the  jail  arter  they've  got  all  the  meat 
off." 

"  'Twas  only  yes'day  Iry  Seymour  sold  out  Zadkiel 
Poor,  ez  lives  'long  side  o'  me,  an'  took  Zadkiel  daown 
to  Barrington  jail  fer  the  rest  that  the  sale  didn't  fetch," 
said  Israel  Goodrich.  "Zadkiel,  he's  been  kind  o'  ail- 
in'  fer  a  spell  back,  an'  his  wife,  she  says  ez  haow  he 
can't  live  a  month  daown  to  the  jail,  an'  when  Iry  took 
Zadkiel  off,  she  took  on  real  bad.  I  declare  for't,  it 
seemed  kind  o'  tough. " 


Nine  Years  After  17 

"  I  hearn  that  there  wuz  tew  new  fellers  a-studyin' 
law  into  Squire  Sedgwick's  office,"  remarked  Obadiah 
Weeks,  a  gawky  youth  of  about  twenty,  evidently 
anxious  to  buy  a  standing  among  the  adult  circle  of 
talkers  by  contributing  an  item  of  information. 

Abner  groaned.  "  Great  Crypus !  more  blood-suck 
ers!  Why,  there  be  ten  lawyers  in  this  taown  a 'ready, 
an'  there  warn't  but  one  when  I  wuz  a  boy,  an'  there 
wuz  more  settlers  then  than  there  be  naow. " 

"Wai,  I  guess  they'll  git  'nough  to  dew,"  said  Ezra 
Phelps.  "  I  hearn  ez  haow  there's  seven  hundred  cases 
on  the  docket  o'  the  Common  Pleas  fer  next  week,  most 
on  'em  fer  debt." 

"  I  hearn  ez  two  hundred  on  'em  be  from  this  taown 
an'  the  iron-works,"  added  Israel.  "I  declare  for  't, 
Zadkiel'll  hev  plenty  o'  comp'ny  daown  tew  jail,  by  the 
time  them  suits  be  all  tried. " 

"  What  be  we  a-comin'  tew? "  groaned  Abner.  "  It 
doos  seem's  if  we  all  on  us  might's  well  move  daown  ter 
the  jail  ter  once,  an'  hev  done  with't.  We're  baoun'  to 
come  to't  fust  or  last." 

After  a  brief  silence  following  this  gloomy  predic 
tion,  Peleg  Bidwell  said:  "My  sister  Keziah's  son,  by 
her  fust  husban',  hez  been  daown  to  Besting,  an'  I 
hearn  say  ez  haow  he  says  that  the  folks  daown  east 
mostly  all  hez  furnitur'  from  Lunnon,  an'  the  women 
wears  them  air  Leghorn  hats  ez  cost  ten  shillin'  lawful, 
let  alone  prunelly  shoes  an'  silk  stockin's;  an'  he  says 
there  ain't  a  ship  goes  out  o'  Bosting  harbor  ez  don't 
take  more'n  five  thaousan'  paound  o'  lawful  money 
out  o'  the  kentry.  I  calc'late,"  pursued  Peleg,  "that 
that's  jest  what's  tew  the  bottom  o'  the  trouble.  It's 
all  'long  o'  the  rich  folks  a-sendin'  money  out  o'  the 
kentry  to  git  their  selves  fine  duds,  an*  that's  why  we 


1 8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

don't  git  more'n  tuppence  a  paound  fer  our  mutton, 
an'  next  to  nothin'  fer  wheat,  an*  don't  hev  nothin'  ter 
pay  taxes  with,  nor  ter  settle  with  Squire  Edwards 
daown  ter  the  store.  That's  the  leak  in  the  bar'l,  an* 
times  won't  git  no  better  till  that's  plugged,  naow  I 
tell  ye." 

"  If 't  comes  to  pluggin'  leaks  ye  kin  look  nigher  hum 
than  Bosting,"  observed  Abner.  "I  hearn  ez  Squire 
Edwards  give  fifty  paound  lawful  fer  that  sort  o'  tune- 
box  he's  got  fer  his  gal,  an'  they  do  say  ez  them  cheers 
o'  Squire  Sedgwick's  cost  twenty  paound  lawful  in  the 
old  kentry." 

"  What  dew  they  call  that  air  tune-box? "  inquired 
Israel  Goodrich.  "  I've  hearn  tell,  but  I  kind  o'  fergit. 
It's  some  Frenchified  saoundin'  name." 

"It's  a  pyanner,"  said  Obadiah. 

"I  guess  peeanner's  nigher  right,"  observed  Peleg 
critically.  "  My  gal  hearn  the  Edwards  gal  call  it  pee- 
anner." 

"There  ain't  nuther  on  ye  within  a  mile  o'  right. 
'Tain't  pyanner,  an'  'tain't  peeanner;  it's  pianny,"  de 
clared  Abner,  who,  on  account  of  having  once  served 
a  few  weeks  in  connection  with  a  detachment  of  the 
French  auxiliaries,  was  conceded  to  be  an  authority  on 
foreign  pronunciation. 

"I  hain't  got  no  idee  on't  nohow,"  said  Israel,  shak 
ing  his  head.  "  I  hearn  it  a-goin'  ez  I  was  comin'  by 
the  store.  Saoun's  like  ez  if  'twas  a-hailin'  ontewa  lot 
o'  milk-pans.  I  never  suspicioned  ez  I  sh'd  live  ter 
hear  sech  a  n'ise." 

"I  guess  Peleg's  'baout  right,"  said  Abner;  "there 
won't  be  no  show  fer  poor  folks  'nless  there  's  a  law 
ag'in  sendin*  money  aout  o'  the  kentry." 

"  That  would  be  a-shuttin'  of  the  barn  door  arter  the 


Nine  Years  After  19 

hoss  is  stole, "  said  Ezra  Phelps,  as  he  arrested  a  mug  of 
flip  on  its  way  to  his  lips,  to  express  his  views.  "  There 
ain't  no  use  o'  beginnin'  ter  save  arter  all's  spent.  I 
calc'late  gov'ment's  got  ter  print  a  big  stack  o'  new 
bills,  ef  we're  a-goin'  ter  git  holt  o'  any  money." 

"  Ef  it's  paper  bills  ez  ye're  a-talkin'  'baout,"  said 
Abner  grimly,  "  I've  got  quite  a  slew  on  'em  to  hum — 
mebbe  a  peck  or  tew.  I  got  'em  fer  pay  in  the  army. 
They're  tew  greasy  ter  kindle  a  fire  with,  an*  I  dunno 
nothin'  else  they're  good  for.  Ye're  welcome  to  'em, 
Ezry.  My  little  'Bijah  ast  me  fer  some  on  'em  to  make 
a  kite  out  of  t'other  day,  an'  I  says  ter  him,  says  I,  "Bi 
jah,  I  don't  think  they'll  do  nohow  fer  a  kite,  fer  I 
never  heard  tell  of  a  Continental  bill  a-goin'  up;  but  ef 
ye  want  a  sinker  fer  yer  fish -line,  they're  jest  the 
thing. '  " 

There  was  a»sardonic  snicker  at  Ezra's  expense,  but 
he  returned  to  the  charge  undismayed. 

"  That  ain't  nuther  here  nor  there,"  he  retorted,  turn 
ing  toward  Abner  and  emphasizing  his  words  with  the 
empty  mug.  "  What  I  ask  yew  is,  warn't  them  bills 
good  fer  suthin'  when  they  wuz  fust  printed? " 

"They  wuz  wuth  suthin'  fer  a  while,"  admitted  Ab 
ner. 

"Ezackly,"  said  the  other;  "that's  the  natur'  o'  bills. 
Allus  they're  good  fer  a  while,  an'  then  they  kind  o' 
begin  ter  run  daown,  an'  they  run  daown  till  they  ain't 
wuth  nuthin'.  Paounds  an'  shillin's  runs  daown  tew, 
by  gittin'  wore  off  till  they're  light  weight.  Every 
kind  o'  money  runs  daown,  only  it's  the  natur'  o'  bills 
ter  run  daown  a  leetle  quicker  than  other  sorts.  Naow 
I  says — an'  I  ain't  the  only  one  that  says  it— that  all 
gov'ment's  got  ter  dew  is  ter  keep  on  printin'  new  bills 
ez  fast  ez  the  old  ones  gits  run  daown.  Times  wuz 


20  The  Duke  of  Stockbridgc 

good  'long  in  the  war.  A  feller  could  git  'baout  what 
he  ast  fer  his  crops,  an'  he  could  git  any  wages  he  ast, 
tew.  Ye  see,  gov'ment  wuz  a-printin'  money  fast  then. 
Jest's  quick  ez  a  bill  run  daown,  they  up  an'  printed 
another  one,  so  there  wuz  allers  plenty.  Soon  ez  the 
war  wuz  over  they  stopped  a-printin'  bills,  and  imme- 
jitly  the  hard  times  come.  Hain't  that  so? " 

"  I  dunno  but  yew  be  right,"  said  Abner  thoughtfully. 
"  I  never  thought  on't  ezackly  that  way."  Israel  Good 
rich  also  expressed  the  opinion  that  there  was  "  some- 
thin*  into  what  Ezry  says." 

"What  we  want,"  pursued  Ezra,  "is  a  kind  o*  bills 
printed  ez  shall  lose  value  by  reg'lar  rule,  jest  so  much 
a  month,  no  more,  no  less,  'cordin'  ez  it's  fixed  by  law 
an*  printed  onto  the  bills,  so's  everybody'll  understand 
an*  nobody'll  git  cheated.  I  hearn  that  that's  the  idee 
ez  the  Hampshire  folks  went  fer  in  the  convention 
daown  ter  Hatfield  this  week.  Ye  see,  ez  I  wuz  a-say- 
in',  bills  is  baoun*  ter  come  daown  anyhow,  only  ef 
they  come  daown  reg'lar,  'cordin'  ter  law,  everybody'll 
know  what  ter  expect,  an'  nobody  won't  lose  nuthin'." 

"  P'raps  the  convention  that's  a-sittin'  up  ter  Lenox'll 
recommend  them  bills,"  hopefully  suggested  a  farmer 
who  had  been  taking  in  Ezra's  wisdom  with  open  mouth. 

"  I  don't  suppose  it'll  make  any  odds  how  many  bills 
are  printed,  as  far  as  we're  concerned,"  said  Hubbard 
bitterly.  "The  lawyers'll  get  them  all  pretty  soon. 
You  might  as  well  try  to  fat  a  hog  with  a  tape-worm  in 
him,  as  to  make  folks  rich  as  long  as  there  are  any  law 
yers  around." 

"  Yas,  an'  jestices'  fees  an'  sheriffs'  fees  is  'baout  ez 
bad  ez  lawyers',"  added  Israel  Goodrich,  whose  counte 
nance  was  beginning  to  glow  from  the  influence  of  his 
potations.  "I  tell  ye,  we  sh'd  be  a  darn  sight  better 


Nine  Years  After  21 

off  if  all  the  courts  wuz  stopped.  Most  on  ye  is  young 
fellers,  'cept  you,  Elnathan  Hamlin,  there.  He'll  tell 
ye,  ez  I  tell  ye,  that  this  caounty  never  seen  sech  good 
times,  'spite  on  it's  bein'  war  times,  ez  from  'seventy- 
four  ter  'eighty,  arter  we'd  stopped  the  king's  courts 
from  sittin'  and  afore  we'd  voted  fer  the  new  constitu 
tion  o'  the  State,  ez  we  wuz  darn  fools  fer  doin'  of,  ef 
I  do  say  it.  In  them  six  year,  there  warn't  nary  court 
sot  nowhere  in  the  caounty,  from  Boston  Corner  ter  old 
Fort  Massachusetts,  an'  o'  course  there  warn't  no  law 
yers  an'  no  sheriffs,  nor  no  depity  sheriffs  nuther,  ter 
make  every  debt  twice  ez  big  with  their  darnation  fees. 
There  warn't  no  sheriff's  sales,  a-sellin'  of  a  feller  out 
o'  haouse  an*  hum,  an'  winter  comin'  on;  an'  there 
warn't  no  suein'  an*  no  jailin'  of  fellers  fer  debt. 
Folks  wuz  keerful  who  they  trusted,  ez  they'd  ought 
ter  be  allers,  for  there  warn't  no  collectin'  o'  debts  no 
how;  an*  ef  that  warn't  allers  jestice,  I  reckon't  wuz 
ez  nigh  jestice  ez  't  is  ter  collect  bills  swelled  more'n 
double  by  lawyers'  an'  sheriffs'  an'  jestices'  fees,  ez 
they  doos  naow.  In  them  days  if  any  feller  wuz  put 
upon  by  another,  he'd  jest  got  ter  complain  ter  the 
s'lectmen  or  the  committee,  an'  they'd  right  him.  I 
tell  yew,  rich  folks  an'  poor  folks  lived  together  kind  o' 
neighborly  in  them  times,  an*  'cordin'  ter  scripter.  The 
rich  folks  warn't  a-grindin'  the  face  o'  the  poor,  an'  the 
poor  they  wuzn't  a-hatin'  an'  a-envyin'  o'  the  rich,  nigh 
untew  blood,  ez  they  is  naow,  ef  I  dew  say  it.  Yew 
recollect  them  days,  Elnathan — warn't  it  jest  ez  I 
say?" 

"  They  wuz  good  times,  Israel.  Ye  ain't  sayin'  noth- 
in'  more'n  wuz  trew,"  assented  Elnathan  in  a  feeble 
treble,  from  his  seat  on  the  settle. 

"I  tell  yew,  they  wuz  good,"  reiterated  Israel,  as  he 


22  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

looked  around  upon  the  group  with  scintillating  eyes, 
and  proceeded  to  hand  his  mug  over  the  bar  to  be  re 
filled. 

"  I  hearn  ez  haow  the  convention  up  ter  Lenox  is 
a-goin'  ter  'bolish  the  lawyers  an'  the  courts,"  said  a  stal 
wart  fellow  of  bovine  countenance,  named  Laban 
Jones,  one  of  the  discharged  iron-works  men. 

"The  convention  can't  'bolish  nothin',''  said  Peleg 
Bidwell  gloomily.  "  It  can't  do  nothin'  but  recommend 
the  Gineral  Court  'way  daown  ter  Bosting.  Bosting  is 
too  fur  off  fer  this  caounty,  nor  Hampshire  nuther,  tew 
git  no  consideration.  This  eend  o'  the  State  '11  never 
git  its  rights  till  the  gov'ment's  moved  out  o*  Bosting 
tew  Worcester,  where' t  used  ter  be  in  war  times." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Ezra  Phelps;  "  everybody  knows  as 
these  tew  caounties  be  taxed  higher  nor  the  other  eend 
o'  the  State." 

"  Hev  yew  paid  up  yer  taxes  fer  last  year,  Peleg? " 
inquired  Abner. 

44  No,  I  hain't,"  Peleg  replied,  "nor  fer  year  afore, 
nuther.  Gosh!  I  can't.  I  could  pay  in  pertaters,  but 
I  can't  pay  in  money.  There  ain't  no  money.  Collec 
tor  Williams  says  as  haow  he'd  hev  ter  sell  me  out, 
an*  I  s'pose  he's  goin*  ter.  It's  kind  o'  tough,  but  I 
don't  see  ez  I  kin  dew  nothin'.  I  expect  to  be  in  the 
jail  or  the  poorhaouse  afore  spring." 

"  I  dunno  o'  nobody  'raound  here  ez  hez  paid  their 
taxes  fer  last  year  yit,"  said  Israel.  "I  calc'late  that 
more'n  half  the  farms  in  the  caounty'll  be  sold  fer 
taxes  afore  spring." 

"  I  hearn  as  haow  Squire  Woodbridge  says  taxes  is 
ten  times  what  they  wuz  afore  the  war,  an'  it's  sartin 
that  there  ain't  one  shillin'  inter  folks'  pockets  ter  pay 
'em  with  where  there  wuz  ten  on  'em  in  them  days.  It 


Nine  Years  After  23 

seems  darn  cur  is,  bein'  as  we  fit  ag'in  the  redcoats  jest 
ter  git  rid  o'  taxes,"  said  Abner. 

"  Taxes  is  mostly  fer  pay  in'  interest  ontew  the  money 
what  gov'ment  borrowed  ter  kerry  on  the  war.  Naow, 
I  says — an'  I  ain't  the  only  one  in  the  caounty  as  says 
it,  nuther — as  debts  ought  ter  run  daown  same  ez  bills 
doos,  reg'lar,  so  much  a  month,  till  there  ain't  nuthin' 
left,"  declared  Ezra  Phelps,  setting  down  his  mug  with 
an  emphatic  thud.  "  S'posin'  I  borrers  money  of  yew, 
Abner,  an'  build  a  haouse,  that  haouse  is  baoun'  ter 
run  daown  in  vally,  I  calc'late,  'long  from  year  ter 
year.  An'  it  seems  kind  o'  reas'nable  that  the  debt 
sh'd  run  daown 's  fast  as  the  haouse,  so's  when  the 
haouse  gits  wore  aout,  the  debt'll  be,  tew.  Them 
things  ez  gov'ment  bought  with  the  money  it  borrered 
is  wore  aout,  an'  it  seems  kind  o'  reas'nable  that  the 
debts  should  be  run  daown,  tew.  A  leetle  ought  to  ha* 
been  took  off  the  debt  every  year,  instead  o'  payin'  in 
terest  ontew  it." 

"  I  guess  like's  not  ye  hev  the  rights  on't,  Ezry.  I 
wuzn't  a-thinkin'  on't  that  air  way,  ezactly.  I  wuz  a- 
thinkin'  that  if  gov'ment  paid  one  kind  o'  debts  it  ought 
ter  pay  t'other  kind.  I  fetched  my  knapsack  full  o' 
gov'ment  bills  hum  from  the  war.  I  jedge  them  bills 
wuz  all  on  'em  debts  what  gov'ment  owed  tew  me  fur 
fightin'.  Ef  gov'ment  ain't  a-goin'  ter  pay  me  them 
bills — an'  't  ain't — it  don't  seem  fair  ter  tax  me  so's  it 
kin  pay  debts  it  owes  ter  other  folks.  Leastways, 
seems's  though  them  bills  gov'ment  owes  me  ought  ter 
be  caounted  ag'in  the  taxes  instead  o'  bein'  good  fer 
nothin'.  It  don't  seem  ez  if  't  was  right,  nohaow." 

"Leastways,"  said  Peleg,  "if  the  Gineral  Court 
hain't  a-goin'  ter  print  more  bills  it  ought  ter  pass  a  law, 
seem'  there  ain't  no  money  in  the  kentry,  so's  a  feller's 


24  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

prop'ty  could  be  took  by  a  fair  valiation  fer  what  he 
owes,  instead  o'  lettin'  the  sheriff  sell  it  fer  nothin'  and 
sendin'  a  feller  ter  jail  fer  the  balance.  When  I  give 
Squire  Edwards  that  air  leetle  mortgage  on  my  farm, 
money  wuz  plenty,  an'  I  expected  ter  pay  it  up  easy; 
an*  naow  there  ain't  no  money,  an'  I  can't  git  none,  if  I 
died  for  't.  It's  jest  as  if  I  'greed  ter  sell  a  load  o'  ice 
in  January,  an'  a  thaw  come  an'  there  wan't  no  ice  left. 
Property's  wuth  's  much  's  ever,  I  guess,  an'  't  ought 
ter  be  good  fer  debts  instead  o'  money,  'cor din*  to  a 
fair  valiation. " 

"  Mr.  Goodrich,  how  did  you  go  to  work  to  stop  the 
king's  courts  in  'seventy-four?  Did  you  hang  the  jus 
tices?  "  inquired  Paul  Hubbard,  arousing  from  a  fit  of 
contemplation. 

"  Nary  bit,"  replied  Isaiah;  "  there  warn't  no  need  o' 
hangin'  nobody.  'T  was  a  fine  mornin'  in  May,  I  recol 
lect  jest  as  if  'twas  yes'day,  when  the  court  was  a-goin' 
ter  open  daown  ter  Barrington,  an'  abaout  a  thousand 
men  on  us  jest  went  daown  an'  filled  up  the  court- 
haouse,  an'  wouldn't  let  the  jedges  in;  an'  when  they 
see  't  wan't  no  use,  they  jest  give  in  quiet  's  lambs,  an' 
we  made  'em  sign  their  names  tew  a  paper  agreein'  not 
ter  hold  no  more  courts,  an'  the  job  wuz  done.  Ye  see 
the  war  wuzn't  fairly  begun  an'  none  o'  the  king's 
courts  in  th'  other  caounties  wuz  stopped,  but  we 
thought  the  court  might  make  trouble  for  some  o'  the 
sons  o'  Liberty  in  the  caounty  if  we  let  it  set." 

"  I  should  say  't  ain't  nothin'  very  hard  ter  stop  a 
court,  'cordin'  ter  that,"  said  Peleg  Bidwell. 

"  No,  't  ain't  hard,  not  ef  the  people  is  gen'ally  ag'in 
the  settin'  on  it,"  answered  Isaiah. 

"  I  s'pose  ef  a  thousan'  men  sh'd  be  daown  ter  Bar 
rington  next  week  Tewsday,  they  could  stop  the  jestice 


Nine  Years  After  25 

fr'm  openin'  the  Common  Pleas,  jest  the  same  ez  yew 
did,"  said  Peleg  thoughtfully. 

"Sartin,"  said  Isaiah,  "sartin;  leastways 's  long  ez 
the  militia  warn't  aout;  but,  gosh!  there  ain't  no  sense 
o'  talkin'  'baout  sech  things.  These  hain't  no  sech 
times  ez  them  wuz,  an'  folks  ain't  what  they  wuz,  nuth- 
er.  They  seems  kind  o'  slimpsy;  hain't  got  no  grit." 

During  this  talk,  Elnathan  had  risen  and  gone  feebly 
out. 

"  Elnathan  seems  ter  take  it  ter  heart  'baout  leavin' 
the  old  place.  I  hearn  ez  how  Solomon  Gleason's  go- 
in'  ter  sell  him  aout  pretty  soon,"  Abner  remarked. 

"  I  guess  't  aint  so  much  that  as  't  is  the  bad  news 
he's  heerd  'baout  Reub  daown  ter  Barrington  jail," 
said  Obadiah  Weeks. 

"What  abaout  Reub?"  asked  Abner. 

"He's  a-goin'  intew  a  decline  daown  ter  the  jail." 

"  I  want  ter  know !  Poor  Reub ! "  said  Abner,  compas 
sionately.  "  He  fit  side  o'  me  ter  Stillwater,  an'  Perez 
was  t'other  side.  Perez  did  me  a  good  turn  that  day, 
ez  I  shan't  forgit  in  a  hurry.  He'd  take  it  hard  ef  he 
hearn  ez  haow  Reub  wuz  in  jail.  I  never  see  tew  fel 
lers  set  more  store  by  one  another  than  he  an'  Reub." 

"Wonder  ef  Perez  ain't  never  a-comin'  hum.  He 
hain't  been  back  sence  the  war.  I  hearn  his  folks  had 
word  a  spell  ago  ez  he  wuz  a-comin',"  said  Peleg. 

"  Gosh !  "  exclaimed  Abner,  his  rough  features  soften 
ing  with  a  pensive  cast,  "  I  recollect  jest  ez  if  't  wuz 
yes 'day,  that  rainy  mornin'  when  we  fellers  set  off 
'long  with  Squire  Woodbridge  fer  Bennington.  There 
wuz  me,  'n  Perez,  an'  Reub,  an'  Abe  Konkapot,  'n, 
le's  see — you  went  afore,  didn't  ye,  Peleg?  " 

"  Yas,  I  went  with  Cap'n  Stoddard,"  replied  that  in 
dividual. 


26  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  There  we  wuz,  all  a-standin'  in  line, "  pursued  Abner, 
seeming  to  gaze  through  the  ceiling,  as  if  he  could  see 
on  the  other  side  of  it  the  scene  which  he  vividly 
recalled,  "an*  Parson  West  a-prayin',  an'  the  women 
a-whimperin',  an'  we  nigh  ontew  it,  fer  we  wuz  green, 
an'  the  mothers'  milk  warn't  aout  of  us.  But  I  bet  we 
thought  we  wuz  big  pertaters,  a-goin'  to  fight  fer  lib'ty. 
Wai,  we  licked  the  red-coats,  and  we  got  lib'ty,  I  s'pose; 
lib'ty  ter  starve, — that  is,  ef  we  don't  happen  ter  git 
sent  ter  jail  fust;  "  and  Abner's  voice  fell,  and  his  chin 
dropped  on  his  breast,  in  a  sudden  reaction  of  dejec 
tion  at  the  thought  of  the  bitter  disappointment  of  all 
the  hopes  which  had  made  their  hearts  strong  that  day 
before  the  battle,  even  in  the  hour  of  parting. 

44 1  think  we  wuz  a  darn  sight  better  off  every  way 
under  the  king,  'n  we  be  naow.  The  tories  wuz 
right  arter  all,  I  guess.  We'd  better  ha'  let  well 
'nough  alone,  an'  not  to  ha'  jumped  aout  of  the  fryin'- 
pan  inter  the  fire,"  said  Peleg,  gloomily. 

As  he  finished  speaking,  a  medium-sized  man,  with  a 
pasty- white,  freckled  complexion,  bristling  red  hair,  a 
retreating  forehead,  and  small,  sharp  eyes,  came  for 
ward  from  the  dark  corner  near  the  door.  His  thin 
lips  writhed  in  a  mocking  smile,  as  he  stood  confront 
ing  Peleg  and  Abner,  looking  first  at  one  and  then  at 
the  other. 

44  Ef  I  don't  forgit,"  he  said  at  length,  44  that's  'baout 
the  way  I  talked  when  the  war  wuz  a-goin'  on;  an'  if 
I  recollect,  yew,  Peleg,  an'  yew,  Abner  Rathbun  and 
Meshech  Little,  there  on  the  floor,  took  arter  me  with 
yer  guns  and  dogs  'cause  ye  said  I  wuz  a  dum  tory. 
An*  ye  hunted  me  on  Stockbridge  mounting  like  a 
woodchuck,  an'  ye'd  ha'  hed  my  skelp  fer  sartin  ef  I 
hadn't  been  a  darn  sight  smarter  'n  yew  ever  wuz." 


Nine  Years  After  27 

"  Jabez,"  said  Abner,  "I  hope  ye  don't  hev  no  hard 
feelin's.  Times  be  changed.  Let  bygones  be  by 
gones.  " 

"  Mos'  folks  'd  say  I  hed  some  call  to  hev  hard  feel 
in's.  Ye  druv  me  ter  hide  in  caves  an'  holes,  fer  the 
best  part  o'  tew  year.  I  dass'n't  come  hum  ter  see  my 
wife  die,  nor  ter  bury  on  her.  Ye  confiscated  my 
house  and  took  my  crops  fer  yer  darned  army.  Mos' 
folks  'd  sartinly  say  ez  I  hed  call  ter  hev  hard  feelin's 
ag'in  ye.  But  I  hain't,  an'  why  hain't  I?  'Cause  ye've 
been  yer  own  wust  enemies;  ye've  hurt  yerselves  more 
ner  ye  hev  me,  though  ye  didn't  go  fer  ter  do  it. 
Pretty  nigh  all  on  ye  as  fit  ag'in  the  king  is  beggars 
naow,  or  next  door  tew  it.  Everybuddy  hez  a  kick  fer 
a  soldier.  Ye'll  find  'em  mos'ly  in  the  jails  an'  the 
poorhaouses.  Look  at  you  fellers  ez  wuz  a-huntin'  me. 
There's  Meshech  on  the  floor,  a  drunken,  wuthless 
cuss.  There  ye  be,  Abner,  'thout  a  shillin'  in  the  world, 
nor  a  foot  o'  land — yer  dad's  farm  gone  fer  taxes.  An' 
there  be  yew,  Peleg.  Wai,  Peleg,  they  dew  say  ez 
the  neighbors  sends  ye  in  things  ter  keep  ye  from 
starvin'." 

Jabez  looked  from  one  to  the  other  until  he  had  suffi 
ciently  enjoyed  their  discomfiture,  and  then  he  con 
tinued. 

"  I  ain't  much  better  off  'n  yew  be,  but  I  hain't  got 
nothin'  onto  my  conscience.  An'  when  I  looks  raound 
an'  sees  the  oppression  an'  the  poverty  of  the  people, 
an'  haow  they  have  none  ter  help,  an'  the  jails  so  full, 
an'  the  taxes,  an'  the  plague  o'  lawyers,  an'  the  voice 
o'  cryin'  ez  is  goin'  up  from  the  land,  an'  all  the  con- 
sekences  o'  the  war,  I  tell  ye,  it's  considabul  satisfac 
tion  to  feel  ez  I  kin  wash  my  han's  on't."  And,  with 
a  glance  of  contemptuous  triumph  around  the  circle, 


28  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Jabez  turned  on  his  heel  and  went  out.  The  silence 
was  first  broken  by  Ezra  Phelps,  who  said  quietly: 

"Wai,  Jabez  ain't  fur  from  right.  It's  abaout  so. 
Some  says  the  king  is  calc' latin  ter  try  ter  git  the  colo 
nies  back  ag'in  'fore  long.  Ef  he  doos,  I  guess  he'll 
make  aout,  fur  I  don't  b'lieve  ez  a  comp'ny  o7  men 
could  be  raised  in  all  Berkshire,  ter  go  an*  fight  the 
red-coats  again,  if  they  wuz  to  come  to-morrer. "  And 
a  general  murmur  of  assent  confirmed  his  words. 

"  Wai,"  said  Abner,  recovering  speech,  "  live  an'  larn. 
In  them  days,  when  I  went  a-gunnin'  arter  Jabez,  I 
use  ter  think  ez  there  wuzn't  no  sech  varmint  ez  a  tory ; 
but  I  didn't  know  nothin'  'bout  lawyers  and  sheriffs 
them  times.  I  calc'late  ye  could  cut  five  tories  aout  o' 
one  lawyer  an'  make  a  dozen  skunks  aout  o'  what  wuz 
left  over.  I'm  a-goin'  hum." 

This  was  the  signal  for  a  general  break-up.  Israel, 
who  had  fallen  into  a  boozy  slumber  on  the  settle,  was 
roused  and  sent  home  between  his  son  and  hired  man, 
and  presently  the  tavern  was  dark  save  for  the  soon 
extinguished  glimmer  of  a  candle  at  the  upstairs  win 
dow  of  the  Widow  Bingham ' s  apartment.  Meshech  was 
left  to  snore  upon  the  barroom  floor  and  grope  his  way 
out  of  doors  as  best  he  might,  when  he  should  return 
to  his  senses.  For  doors  were  not  locked  in  Stock- 
bridge  in  those  days. 


CHAPTER  III. 
The  Tavern-Jail  at  Barrington 

PELEG'S  information,  although  of  a  hearsay  charac 
ter,  was  correct.  Perez  Hamlin  was  coming  home. 
The  day  following  the  conversation  in  the  barroom  of 
Stockbridge  tavern,  recorded  in  the  last  chapter,  about 
an  hour  after  noon  a  traveler  on  horseback  approached 
the  village  of  Great  Barrington,  on  the  road  from 
Sheffield.  He  wore  the  buff  and  blue  uniform  of  a 
captain  in  the  late  Continental  army,  and  strapped  to 
the  saddle  was  a  steel-hilted  sword  which  had  appar 
ently  experienced  a  good  many  hard  knocks.  The 
lack  of  any  other  baggage  to  speak  of,  as  well  as  the 
frayed  and  stained  condition  of  his  uniform,  indicated 
that  however  rich  the  rider  might  be  in  glory,  he  was 
tolerably  destitute  of  more  palpable  forms  of  wealth. 

Poverty,  in  fact,  had  been  the  chief  reason  that  had 
prevented  Captain  Hamlin  from  returning  home  before. 
The  close  of  the  war  had  found  him  serving  under  Gen 
eral  Greene  in  South  Carolina,  and  on  the  disbandment 
of  the  troops  he  had  been  left  without  means  of  sup 
port.  Since  then  he  had  been  slowly  working  his  way 
homeward,  stopping  a  few  months  wherever  employ 
ment  or  hospitality  offered.  What  with  the  lack  and 
insecurity  of  mails,  and  his  frequent  movements,  he 
had  not  heard  from  home  for  two  or  three  years,  al 
though  he  had  written.  But  in  those  days,  when  that 
constant  exchange  of  bulletins  of  health  and  business 


30  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

between  friends  which  burdens  modern  mail  bags  was 
out  of  the  question,  the  fact  perhaps  developed  a  more 
robust  quality  of  faith  in  the  well-being  of  the  absent 
than  is  known  in  these  days.  Certain  it  is  that  as  the 
soldier  rode  along,  the  smiles  that  from  time  to  time 
chased  each  other  across  his  bronzed  face,  indicated 
that  gay  and  tender  anticipations  of  the  meeting,  now 
only  a  few  hours  away,  left  no  room  in  his  mind  for 
gloomy  conjectures  of  possible  disaster.  It  was  nine 
years  since  he  parted  with  his  father  and  mother ;  and 
his  brother  Reub  he  had  not  seen  since  the  morning  in 
1778,  when  Perez,  accepting  a  commission,  had  gone 
south  with  General  Greene,  and  Reub  had  left  for  home 
with  Abner  and  Fennell,  and  several  others  whose 
time  had  expired.  He  smiled  as  he  thought  how  he 
never  really  knew  what  it  was  to  enjoy  the  righting  un 
til  he  got  the  lad  off  home,  so  that  he  had  not  to  worry 
about  his  being  hit  every  time  there  was  any  shooting 
going  on.  Coming  into  Great  Harrington,  he  asked 
the  first  man  he  met  where  the  tavern  was. 

"That's  it,  over  yonder,"  said  the  man,  jerking  his 
thumb  over  his  shoulder  at  a  nondescript  building  some 
distance  ahead. 

" That  looks  more  like  a  jail." 

"Wai,  so  't  is.  The  jail  's  in  the  ell  part  o'  the  tav 
ern.  Cephe  Bement  keeps  'em  both." 

"  It's  a  queer  notion  to  put  them  under  the  same  roof. " 

"  I  dunno  'bout  that,  nuther.  It's  mostly  by  way  o' 
the  tavern  that  fellers  gits  inter  jail,  I  calc'late." 

Perez  laughed,  and  riding  up  to  the  tavern  end  of  the 
jail,  dismounted,  and  going  into  the  barroom,  ordered 
a  plate  of  pork  and  beans.  Feeling  in  excellent  humor, 
he  fell  to  conversing  over  his  modest  meal  with  the 
landlord,  a  big,  beefy  man,  who  evidently  liked  to  hear 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         31 

himself  talk,  and  in  a  gross  sort  of  way  appeared  to  be 
rather  good-natured. 

"  I  saw  a  good  many  red  flags  on  farmhouses  as  I  was 
coming  up  from  Sheffield  this  morning,"  said  Perez. 
"  You  haven't  got  the  small-pox  in  the  county  again, 
have  you? " 

"  Them  wuz  sheriff's  sales,"  said  tho  landlord,  laugh 
ing  uproariously,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  a  seedy, 
red-nosed  individual,  addressed  as  Zeke,  who  appeared 
to  be  a  hanger-on  of  the  barroom  in  the  function  of 
echo  to  the  landlord's  jokes. 

"  Ye '11  git  used  ter  that  air  red  flag  ef  ye  stay  long  in 
these  parts.  Ye  ain't  so  fur  from  right  arter  all, 
though,  fer  I  guess  most  folks  'd  'baout  ez  lieve  hev 
the  small-pox  in  the  house  ez  the  sheriff." 

"  Times  are  pretty  hard  hereabouts,  are  they? " 

"  Wai,  yas,  they  be  'baout  ez  hard  ez  they  kin  be,  but 
ye  see  it's  wuss  in  this  ere  caounty  'n  't  is  in  mos' 
places,  'cause  there  warn't  nary  court  here  fer  six  or 
eight  year  till  lately,  an'  no  debts  wuz  collected,  'n  so 
they've  kind  o'  piled  up.  I  guess  there  ain't  but  darn 
few  fellers  in  the  caounty  'cept  the  parsons,  'n  lawyers, 
'n  doctors  ez  ain't  a-bein'  sued  to-day, — 'specially  the 
farmers.  I  tell  yew,  it  makes  business  lively  fer  the 
lawyers  an'  sheriffs.  They're  the  ones  ez  rides  in  ker- 
ridges  these  days." 

"  Is  the  jail  pretty  full  now? " 

"  Chock  full ;  hed  to  send  a  batch  up  ter  Lenox  last 
week,  an'  got  em  packed  'bout's  thick's  they'll  lay 
naow,  like  codfish  in  a  bar'l.  Haow  in  time  I'm  a- 
goin'  ter  make  room  fer  the  fellers  the  court '11  send  in 
nex'  week,  I  dunno,  darned  if  I  dew.  They'd  ought 
ter  be  three  new  jails  in  the  caounty  this  blamed  min 
ute." 


32  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Do  you  expect  a  good  many  more  this  week? " 

"Land,  yes!  Why,  man  alive,  the  Common  Pleas 
never  hed  ez  much  business  ez  this  time.  I  calc'late 
there's  nigh  onto  seven  hundred  cases  ter  try." 

"  The  devil !  Has  there  been  a  riot  or  a  rebellion  in 
the  county?  What  have  they  all  done?  " 

"  Oh,  they  hain't  done  nothin',"  replied  the  landlord; 
"they  ain't  nothin'  but  debtors.  Darn  debtors, — I 
don't  like  to  hev  the  jailin'  of  'em.  They  hain't  got 
no  blood  into  'em  like  Sabbath-breakers,  an'  blasphem 
ers,  an'  rapers  has.  They're  weakly,  pulin'  kind  o' 
chaps,  what  there  ain't  no  satisfaction  a-lockin'  up  an' 
a-knockin'  round.  They're  dreffle  deskerridgin'  kind 
o'  fellers,  tew.  Ye  see,  we  never  git  rid  on  'em. 
They  never  gits  let  aout  like  other  fellers  ez  is  in  jail. 
They  hez  ter  stay  till  they  pay  up,  an'  naterally  they 
can't  pay  up  's  long  ez  they  stay.  Gen 'ally  they  go 
aout  feet  foremost,  when  they  go  aout  at  all,  an'  they 
ain't  long  lived." 

"  Why  don't  they  pay  up  before  they  get  in? "  queried 
Perez. 

"  Where  be  ye  from? "  asked  the  landlord,  staring  at 
him. 

"  I'm  from  New  York,  last." 

"  I  thought  ye  couldn't  be  from  'raound  here  no- 
wheres,  ter  ask  sech  a  question.  Why  don't  they  pay 
their  debts?  Did  ye  hear  that,  Zeke?  Why,  jest  'cause 
there  ain't  no  money  in  the  kentry  ter  pay  'em  with. 
It  don't  make  a  mite  o'  odds  haow  much  prop'ty  a  fel 
ler's  got.  It  don't  fetch  nothin'  tew  a  sale.  The  credi 
tor  buys  it  in  fer  nothin',  an'  the  feller  goes  to  jail  fer 
the  balance.  A  man  as  has  got  a  silver  sixpence  can 
a'most  buy  a  farm.  Some  folks  says  there  ought  ter  be 
a  law  makin'  prop'ty  a  tender  fer  debts  on  a  fair  valia- 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         33 

tion.  I  dunno  an'  I  don't  keer;  I  hain't  no  fault  ter 
find  with  my  business,  leastways  the  jail  end  on't." 

Finishing  his  dinner,  Perez  asked  for  his  score,  and 
drawing  a  large  wallet  from  his  pocket,  took  out  a  roll 
of  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  Continental  bills. 

"  Hain't  ye  got  no  Massachusetts  bills?  They  ain't 
wuth  but  one  shillin'  in  six,  but  that's  suthin,  an'  them 
continental  bills  ain't  wuth  haouse  room.  Gosh  darn 
it!  I  swow,  ef  I'd  known  ye  hadn't  nothin'  but  them 
I  wouldn't  ha'  give  ye  a  drop  to  drink  nor  anything  ter 
eat,  nuther.  Marthy  says  only  this  morning,  *  Cephas, ' 
says  she,  '  rum  is  rum  an'  rags  is  rags,  an'  don't  ye 
give  no  more  rum  fer  rags. '  " 

"Well,  "said  Perez,  "I  have  nothing  else.  Govern 
ment  thought  they  were  good  enough  to  pay  the  sol 
diers  for  their  blood ;  they  ought  to  pay  landlords  for 
their  rum. " 

"  I  dunno  nothin'  'baout  yer  bein'  a  soldier,  an'  I 
dunno  ez  I  or  any  other  man's  beholden  to  ye  for't, 
nuther.  Ye  got  paid  all  't  wuz  wuth  if  ye  didn't  git 
paid  nuthin';  fur's  I  kin  reckon,  we  wuz  a  darn  sight 
better  off  under  old  King  George  than  we  be  naow. 
Ain't  that  'baout  so,  Zeke?" 

"  Well,"  said  Perez,  "  if  you  won't  take  these,  I  can't 
pay  you  at  all." 

"Wai,"  said  Bement  crossly,  "there's  the  beans  an' 
mug  o'  flip.  Call  it  a  thaousand  dollars,  an'  fork  over, 
but  by  golly,  I  don't  git  caught  that  way  again.  It's 
downright  robbery,  that's  what  it  is.  I  say,  ain't  ye 
got  no  cleaner  bills  nor  these? " 

"Perhaps  these  are  cleaner,"  said  Perez,  handing 
him  another  lot.  "  What  odds  does  it  make?  " 

"  Wai,  ye  see,  ef  they  be  middlin'  clean,  I  kin  keep 
'caounts  on  the  backs  on  'em,  and  Marthy  finds  'em 
3 


34  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

handy  when  she  writes  to  her  folks  daown  ter  Spring 
field.  'T  ain't  fust-class  writin'  paper,  but  it's  cheaper'n 
other  kinds,  an'  that's  suthin'  in  these  times." 

Having1  satisfied  the  landlord's  requirements  as  well 
as  possible,  Perez  walked  to  the  door  and  stood  looking 
out.  The  ell  containing  the  jail  coming  under  his 
eye,  he  turned  and  said,  "You  spoke  of  several  hun 
dred  debtors  coming  before  the  court  next  week.  It 
doesn't  look  as  if  you  could  get  over  fifty  in  here." 

"Oh,  ye  can  jam  in  a  hundred.  I've  got  nigh  that 
naow,  and  there's  other  lockups  in  the  caounty,"  re 
plied  the  landlord.  "  But  ef  they  wuz  a-goin'  ter  try 
to  shet  up  all  the  debtors,  they'd  hev  ter  build  half 
a  dozen  new  jails.  But  bless  ye,  the  most  on  'em 
won't  be  shet  up.  Their  creditors  '11  git  jedgments 
ag'in  'em,  an'  then  they'll  hev  rings  in  their  noses,  an' 
kin  dew  what  they  like  with  'em,  'cause  ef  they  don't 
stan'  raound  they  kin  shove  'em  right  intew  jail,  ye  see. " 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  there's  much  of  that  sort  of 
slavery,"  ejaculated  Perez. 

"I  dunno  'baout  slavery  ezackly,  but  there's  plenty 
o'  that  sort  o*  thing,  fer  sartin.  Creditors  mostly 
would  ruther  dew  that  way,  'cause  they  kin  git  suthin' 
aout  of  a  feller,  an'  ef  they  send  'em  tew  jail  it's  a  dead 
loss.  They  make  'em  work  aout  their  debt  and  reckon 
their  work  tew  'baout  what  they  please.  There  is  some 
queer  kind  o'  talk  'baout  what  kind  o'  things  they 
make  'em  stand  sometimes  rather'n  go  ter  jail.  Wai, 
all  I  says  is  that  a  feller  ez  hez  got  a  good-lookin'  gal 
hed  better  not  git  a-owin'  much  in  these  ere  times.  I 
hain't  said  nothin',  hev  I,  Zeke?"  and  that  worthy  an 
swered  his  wink  with  a  salacious  chuckle. 

"Have  you  any  debtors  from  Stockbridge?"  asked 
Perez  suddenly. 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         35 

"A  hull  slew  on  'em,"  replied  Bement.  "I've  got 
one  more'n  I  shall  hev  much  longer,  tew." 

"Who  be  that?"  asked  Zeke. 

"Wai,  I  guess  George  Fennell  won't  hold  out  much 
longer. " 

"Fennell?  George  Fennell?  George  Fennell  is  not 
in  this  jail!  "  cried  Perez. 

"Wai,  naow,"  said  Bement,  imperturbably,  "per 
haps  ye  know  better'n  I  dew." 

"  But,  landlord,  he's  my  friend,  my  comrade.  I'd 
like  to  see  him,"  and  the  young  man's  countenance 
expressed  the  liveliest  concern. 

The  landlord  seemed  to  hesitate.  Finally  he  turned 
his  head  and  called,  "  Marthy !  "  and  a  plump,  kitten-like 
little  woman  appeared  at  a  door  opening  into  the  end 
of  the  bar,  whereupon  the  landlord,  as  he  jerked  his 
thumb  over  his  shoulder  to  indicate  their  guest,  re 
marked  : 

"  He  wants  ter  know  if  he  kin  be  let  ter  see  George 
Fennell.  Says  he's  his  friend,  an'  used  ter  know  him 
ter  the  war." 

Mrs.  Bement  looked  at  the  officer  and  said :  "  Wai, 
my  husband  don't  gen'ally  keer  to  hev  folks  a-seein' 
the  pris'ners,  'cause  it  makes  'em  kind  o'  discontented 
like."  She  hesitated  a  little  and  then  added:  "But  I 
dunno's  't  will  dew  no  harm,  Cephas,  bein'  as  Fennell 
won't  last  much  longer  anyhow." 

Thus  authorized,  Bement  took  a  bundle  of  keys  from 
a  hook  behind  the  bar,  and  proceeded  to  unlock  the 
padlock  which  fastened  an  iron  bar  across  a  heavy 
plank  door  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the  sides  of  the 
room.  As  he  threw  open  the  door,  a  gust  of  foul 
stenches  belched  forth  into  the  room,  almost  nauseating 
Perez.  The  smell  of  the  prison  was  like  that  of  a  pig- 


36  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

sty.  The  door  had  opened  into  a  narrow  corridor,  dim 
ly  lighted  by  a  small  square  grated  window  at  the  far 
ther  end,  while  along  each  side  were  rows  of  strong 
plank  doors  opening  outward,  and  secured  by  heavy, 
oaken  bars,  slipped  across  them  at  the  middle.  The 
muggy  dog-day  had  been  very  oppressive,  even  out  of 
doors,  but  here  in  the  corridor  it  was  intolerable.  To 
inhale  the  horrible  conglomeration  of  smells  was  like 
breathing  in  a  sewer;  the  lungs,  even  as  they  invol 
untarily  took  it  in,  strove  spasmodically  to  close  their 
passages  against  it.  It  was  impossible  for  one  unac 
customed  to  such  an  atmosphere  to  breathe,  save  by 
gasps.  Bement  stopped  at  one  of  the  doors,  and  as  he 
was  raising  the  bar  across  it,  he  said : 

"There  ain't  only  one  feller  'sides  Fennell  in  here. 
He's  a  Stockbridge  feller,  too.  This  cell  ain't  so  big's 
the  others.  Gen 'ally  there's  three  or  four  together. 
I'll  jest  shet  ye  in,  an'  come  back  for  ye  in  a  minute." 

He  opened  the  door,  and  as  the  other  stepped  in,  it 
was  closed  and  barred  behind  him.  The  cell  was  about 
seven  feet  square  and  as  many  feet  high.  The  floor 
was  a  foot  lower  than  the  corridor,  and  correspondingly 
damper.  It  must  have  been  on  or  below  the  level  of 
the  ground,  and  the  floor,  as  well  as  the  lower  end  of 
the  planks  which  formed  the  walls,  was  black  with 
moisture.  The  cell  was  littered  with  straw  and  inde 
scribable  filth,  while  the  walls  and  ceiling  were  mil 
dewed  and  spotted  with  loathsome  growths  of  mould, 
feeding  on  the  moist  and  filthy  vapors,  which  were 
even  more  sickening  than  in  the  corridor. 

Fully  six  feet  from  the  floor,  too  high  to  allow  of 
looking  out,  was  a  small  grated  window,  a  foot  square, 
through  which  a  few  feeble,  dog-day  sunbeams,  slanting 
downward,  made  a  little  yellow  patch  upon  the  lower 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         37 

part  of  one  of  the  sides  of  the  cell.  Sitting-  upon  a  pile 
of  filthy  straw,  leaning1  back  against  the  wall,  with  his 
face  directly  in  this  spot  of  light,  one  of  the  prisoners 
was  half -sitting,  half-lying,  his  eyes  shut  as  if  asleep, 
and  a  smile  of  perfect  happiness  resting  on  his  pale  and 
weazened  face.  Doubtless  he  was  dreaming  of  the 
time  when,  as  a  boy,  he  played  all  day  in  the  shining1 
fields,  or  went  blackberrying  in  the  ardent  July  sun. 
For  him  the  river  was  gleaming  again,  turning  its  mil 
lion  glittering  facets  to  the  sun,  or  perhaps  his  eye  was 
delighting  in  the  still  sheen  of  ponds  in  Indian  summer, 
as  they  reflected  the  red  glory  of  the  overhanging  maple 
or  the  bordering  sumach  thicket. 

The  other  prisoner  was  kneeling  on  the  floor  before 
the  wall,  with  a  piece  of  charcoal  in  his  hand,  mum 
bling  to  himself  as  he  busily  added  figures  to  a  sum 
with  which  the  surface  above  was  already  covered. 
As  the  door  of  the  cell  closed,  he  looked  around  from 
his  work.  Like  the  face  of  the  man  on  the  floor,  his 
own  face  had  a  ghastly  pallor,  against  which  the  dirt 
with  which  it  was  stained  showed  with  peculiarly 
repulsive  effect,  while  the  beards  and  hair  of  both  men 
had  grown  long  and  matted  and  were  filled  with  straw. 
So  completely  had  their  miserable  condition  disguised 
them,  that  Perez  would  not  have  known  in  the  dim 
light  of  the  cell  that  he  had  ever  seen  either  before. 

The  man  who  had  been  kneeling  on  the  floor,  after 
his  first  look  of  dull  curiosity,  began  to  stare  fixedly  at 
Perez  as  if  he  were  an  apparition,  and  then  rose  to  his 
feet.  As  he  did  so,  Perez  saw  that  he  could  not  be 
Fennell,  for  the  latter  was  tall,  and  this  man  was  quite 
short.  Yes,  the  reclining  man  must  be  George,  and 
now  he  noted  as  an  unmistakable  confirmation  a  scar 
on  one  of  the  emaciated  hands  lying  on  his  breast. 


38  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"George,"  he  said,  stepping  to  his  side.  As  he  did  so 
he  passed  athwart  the  bar  of  sunshine  that  was  falling 
on  the  man's  countenance.  A  peevish  expression 
crossed  his  face,  and  he  opened  his  eyes,  the  burning, 
glassy  eyes  of  the  consumptive.  For  a  few  seconds  he 
looked  fixedly,  wonderingly ;  and  then,  half  dreamily, 
half  inquiringly,  as  if  he  were  not  quite  certain  whether 
it  were  a  man  or  a  vision,  he  murmured: 

"  Perez? " 

"Yes,  it  is  I,  George,"  said  the  soldier,  his  eyes  fill 
ing  with  compassionate  tears.  "  How  came  you  in  this 
horrible  place?" 

But  before  Fennell  could  answer  the  other  prisoner 
sprang  to  the  side  of  the  speaker,  clutching  his  arm  in 
his  claw -like  ringers,  and  crying  in  an  anguished  voice : 

"  Perez!  brother  Perez!     Don't  you  know  me?  " 

At  the  voice  Perez  started  as  if  a  bullet  had  reached 
his  heart.  Like  lightning  he  turned  his  face,  frozen 
with  fear  that  was  scarcely  yet  comprehended,  his  eyes 
like  fiery  darts.  From  that  white  filthy  face  in  its  wild 
beast's  mat  of  hair,  his  brother's  eyes  were  looking  into 
his  own. 

"  Lord  God  in  heaven !  "  It  was  a  husky,  struggling 
voice,  scarcely  more  than  a  whisper,  in  which  he  uttered 
the  words.  For  several  seconds  the  brothers  stood  gaz 
ing  into  each  other's  faces,  Reuben  holding  Perez's 
arm,  and  he  half  shrinking,  not  from  his  brother's  mis 
ery,  though  such  seemed  to  be  his  attitude,  but  from 
the  horror  of  the  discovery. 

"  How  long  " — he  began  to  ask,  and  then  his  voice 
broke.  The  emaciated  figure  before  him,  the  face 
bleached  with  the  ghastly  pallor  which  a  sunless  prison 
gives,  the  deep  sunken  eyes  looking  like  coals  of  fire 
eating  their  way  into  his  brain,  the  tattered  clothing, 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         39 

the  long  unkempt  hair  and  beard,  prematurely  whiten 
ing  and  filled  with  filth,  the  fingers  grown  claw-like 
and  blue  with  prison  mold,  the  dull  vacant  look  and 
the  thought  that  this  was  Reuben,  his  brother — these 
things  filled  him  with  such  an  unutterable,  intolerable 
pity,  that  he  felt  as  if  he  should  lose  his  head  and  go 
wild  for  very  anguish  of  heart. 

"I  s'pose  I'm  kind  o'  thin  and  some  changed,  so  ye 
didn't  know  me,"  said  Reuben,  with  a  feeble  smile. 
"Ye  see,  I've  been  here  a  year,  and  am  going  into  a 
decline.  I  sent  word  home  to  have  father  ask  Deacon 
Nash  if  he  wouldn't  let  me  go  home  to  be  nussed  up 
by  mother.  I  should  get  rugged  again  if  I  could  have 
a  little  o'  mother's  nussin.  P'raps  ye've  come  to  take 
me  home,  Perez? "  And  a  faint  gleam  of  hope  came 
into  his  face. 

"  Reub,  Reub,  I  didn't  know  you  were  here,"  groaned 
Perez,  as  he  put  his  arm  about  his  brother,  and  sup 
ported  his  feeble  figure. 

"  How  come  ye  here,  then?  "  asked  Reuben. 

"  I  was  going  home.  I  haven't  been  home  since  the 
war.  Didn't  you  know?  I  heard  that  George  was 
here  and  came  in  to  see  him,  but  I  didn't  think  of 
your  being  here  too." 

"Where  have  ye  been,  Perez,  all  the  time?  I 
thought  ye  must  be  in  jail  somewheres,  like  all  the  rest 
of  the  soldiers." 

"  I  had  no  money  to  get  home  with.  But  how  came 
you  here,  Reub?  Who  put  you  here?" 

"  'T  was  Deacon  Nash  done  it.  I  tried  to  start  a 
farm  arter  the  war,  and  got  in  debt  to  deacon  for  seed 
and  stock,  and  there  wasn't  no  crop,  and  the  hard 
times  come.  I  couldn't  pay,  and  the  deacon  sued,  and 
so  I  lost  the  farm  and  had  to  come  here." 


40  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Why  didn't  father  help  you?     He  ain't  dead,  is  he? " 

Almost  any  misfortune  now  seemed  possible  to  Perez. 

"  No,  he  ain't  dead,  but  he  ain't  got  nothin'.  I  s'pose 
he's  sold  out  by  this  time.  Sol  Gleason  had  a  mort 
gage  on  the  place." 

"  How  much  was  your  debt,  Reub?  " 

"Nineteen  paound,  seven  shilling  and  sixpence. 
Leastways,  the  debt  was  nine  pound,  and  the  rest  was 
lawyers',  justices',  and  sheriffs'  fees.  I  expect  they'll 
find  them  figgers  cut  into  my  heart  when  I'm  dead." 

And  then  he  pointed  to  the  sums  in  charcoal,  cover 
ing  the  walls  of  the  cell. 

"  I  calc'lated  the  interest  daown  to  haow  much  a  min 
ute.  I  allers  liked  cipherin',  ye  know,  Perez,  and  I 
have  a  great  deal  of  time  here.  Ye  see,  every  day,  the 
interest  is  a  penny  and  twenty-six  twenty-sevenths  of 
a  farthin'.  The  wall  round  me  gits  that  much  higher 
and  thicker  every  day."  He  stepped  closer  up  to  the 
wall,  and  pointed  to  a  particular  set  of  figures. 

"  Here's  my  weight,  ye  see,  ten  stone  and  a  fraction," 
and  then  observing  the  pitiful  glance  of  Perez  at  his 
emaciated  form,  he  added,  "  I  mean  when  I  come  to 
jail.  Dividin'  nineteen  paound,  seven  and  six,  by  that, 
it  makes  me  come  to  thrippence  ha'penny  a  paound, 
'cordin'  to  the  laws  o*  Massachusetts,  countin'  bones 
and  waste.  Mutton  ain't  wuth  but  tuppence,  and 
there's  lots  o'  fellers  here  for  sech  small  debts  that  they 
don't  come  to  more'n  a  farthin'  a  paound,  and  ye  see 
I'm  gittin'  dearer,  Perez.  There's  the  interest  one 
way,  and  I'm  a  gittin'  thinner  the  other  way,"  he  added 
with  a  piteous  smile. 

"Perez,"  interrupted  Fennell,  in  a  feeble,  whimper 
ing  voice,  as  he  weakly  endeavored  to  raise  himself 
from  the  floor,  "  I  wish  you'd  jest  give  me  a  boost  on 


The  Tavern- Jail  at  Barrington         41 

your  shoulders,  so  I  kin  see  out  the  winder.  Reub 
used  ter  to  do  it,  but  he  ain't  stout  enough  now.  It's 
two  months  since  I've  seen  out.  Say,  Perez,  won't  ye? " 

"  It'll  do  him  a  sight  o'  good,  Perez,  if  ye  will.  I 
never  see  a  feller  set  sech  store  by  trees  and  mountings 
as  George  does.  They're  jest  like  medicine  to  him, 
an'  he's  fell  off  f aster 'n  ever  since  I  hain't  been  able  to 
boost  him  up." 

Perez  knelt,  too  much  moved  for  speech,  and  Reub 
helped  to  adjust  upon  his  shoulders  the  feeble  frame  of 
the  sick  man,  into  whose  face  had  come  an  expression 
of  eager,  excited  expectation.  As  the  soldier  rose  he 
fairly  tottered  from  the  unexpected  lightness  of  his 
burden.  He  stepped  beneath  the  high,  grated  window, 
and  Fennell,  resting  his  hands  on  the  lintel  while 
Reub  steadied  him  from  behind,  peered  out.  He  made 
no  sound,  and  finally  Perez  let  him  down  to  the  floor. 

"Could  ye  see  much?"  asked  Reub,  but  the  other 
did  not  answer.  His  gaze  was  afar  off  as  if  the  prison 
walls  were  no  barrier  to  his  eyes,  and  a  smile  of  raptur 
ous  contemplation  rested  on  his  face.  Then  with  a 
deep  breath  he  seemed  to  return  to  a  perception  of  his 
surroundings,  and  in  tones  of  irrepressible  exultation 
he  murmured: 

"I  saw  the  mountings.  They  are  so,"  and  with  a 
waving,  undulating  gesture  of  the  hand  that  was  won 
derfully  eloquent,  he  indicated  the  bold  sweep  of  the 
forest-clad  Taghcanic  peaks.  The  door  swung  open, 
and  the  jailer  appeared. 

"Time's  up,"  he  said  sharply. 

"  What,  you're  not  going  now?  You're  not  going  to 
leave  us  yet?  "  cried  Reuben  piteously. 

Perez  choked  down  the  wrath  and  bitterness  that  was 
turning  his  heart  to  iron,  and  said  humbly : 


42  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Mr.  Bement,  I  should  like  to  stay  a  few  minutes 
longer.  This  is  my  brother.  I  did  not  know  he  was 
here." 

"  Sorry  for' t,"  said  Bement  carelessly.  "Don't  see 
ez  I  kin  help  it  though.  S'posed  like  'nough  he  was 
soiiH-lmddy's  brother.  Mivht's  well  he  your'n  ex.  ;my- 
buddy's.  I  dunno  who  yew  be.  All  I  know  is  that 
ye've  been  here  fifteen  minutes  and  now  ye  must 
leave.  Don't  keep  me  waitin',  nuther.  There  ain't 
nobuddy  'tendin*  bar." 

"  I  )on't  make  him  mad,  Perez,  or  else  he  won't  let  ye 
come  again,"  whispered  Reuben,  whq  saw  that  his 
brother  was  on  the  point  of  some  violent  outburst. 
Perez  controlled  himself,  and  took  his  brother's  hands 
in  his,  coming  close  up  to  him  and  looking  away  over 
his  shoulder  so  that  he  might  not  see  the  pitiful  work 
ings  of  his  features  which  would  have  given  the  nega 
tive  to  his  words  of  comfort. 

"  Cheer  up,  Rcub,"  he  said  huskily,  "  I'll  get  you  out. 
I'll  come  for  you,"  and  still  holding  his  grief-wrung 
face  averted  that  Reuben  might  not  see  it,  he  went 
forth,  and  Bement  shut  the  door  and  barred  it. 


CHAPTER   IV. 
The  People  Ask  Bread  and   Receive  a  Stone 

As  Captain  IFainlin,  leaving  behind  him  Great  Har 
rington  and  its  tavern-jail,  was  riding"  slowly  on  toward 
Stockbridge,  oblivions,  in  the  bitter  tumult  of  his  feel 
ings,  to  the  glorious  seenery  around  him,  the  village 

given  was  the  scene  of  a  quite  unusual  assemblage. 
Squire  Scdgwick,  the  town's  delegate,  was  expeeted 
back  that  afternoon  from  the  enmity  convention,  which 
had  hern  sit  t  ing  at.  Lenox  to  devise  remedies  for  the 
popular  distress;  and  most  of  the  farmers  from  the  out 
lying  country  had  come  into  the  village  to  get  the  first 
tidings  of  the  result  of  its  deliberations. 

Seated  on  the  piazza  of  the  store,  and  standing 
around  it,  at  a  distance  from  the  assemblage  of  the 
common  people,  suitably  typifying  their  social  superi 
ority,  was  a  group  of  the  magnates  of  the  town,  in  the 
Stately  dress  of  gentlemen  of  the  olden  time,  their 
three-cornered  hats  resting  upon  powdered  wigs,  and 
long  silken  hose  revealing  the  goodly  proportions  of 
their  calves.  Upon  the  piazza  sat  a  short,  portly  gen 
tleman,  with  bushy  black  eyebrows  and  a  severe  ex 
pression  of  countenance.  Although  a  short  man  he 
had  a  way  of  holding  his  neck  stiff,  with  the  chin  well 
out,  and  looking  downward  from  beneath  his  eyelids, 
upon  those  who  addressed  him,  which,  with  his  pursed- 
uplips,  produced  a  decided  impression  of  his  authority 
and  unapproachableness.  This  was  Jahleel  Wood- 
bridge,  ICsquire. 


44  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Parson  West  stood  on  the  ground  in  front  of  him,  his 
silver-headed  cane  tucked  under  one  arm.  His  small 
person  was  as  neatly  dressed  as  if  just  taken  out  of  a 
bandbox,  and  his  black,  shining  hose  encased  a  leg  and 
ankle  which  were  the  chaste  admiration  of  the  ladies 
of  the  parish,  and  the  source,  it  was  whispered,  of  no 
small  complacency  to  the  good  man  himself. 

"What  think  you,"  he  asked  of  Squire  Woodbridge, 
"will  have  been  the  action  of  the  convention?  Will  it 
have  emulated  the  demagogic  tone  of  that  at  Hatfield, 
do  you  opine?" 

"Let  us  hope  not,  reverend  sir,"  responded  the 
squire,  "  but  methinks  it  was  inexpedient  to  allow  the 
convention  to  meet,  although  Squire  Sedgwick's  mind 
was  on  that  point  at  variance  with  mine.  It  is  an  eas 
ier  matter  to  prevent  a  popular  assembly  than  to  re 
strain  its  utterances  when  assembled." 

"I  trust,"  said  the  parson,  looking  around  upon 
those  standing  near,  "  that  we  have  all  made  it  a  sub 
ject  of  prayer,  that  the  convention  might  be  led  by 
Providence  to  devise  remedies  for  the  inconveniences 
of  the  time,  for  they  are  sore,  and  the  popular  discon 
tent  is  great." 

"  Nay,  I  fear 't  is  past  hoping  for  that  the  people  will 
be  contented  with  anything  the  convention  may  have 
done,  however  well  considered, "said  Doctor  Partridge. 
"  They  have  set  their  hearts  on  some  such  miracle  as 
that  whereby  Moses  did  refresh  fainting  Israel  with 
water  from  the  smitten  rock.  The  crowd  over  yonder 
will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  that  from  the 
convention, "  and  the  doctor  waved  his  hand  to  ward  the 
people  on  the  green,  with  a  smile  of  tolerant  contempt 
on  his  clean-cut,  sarcastic,  but  not  unkindly  face. 

"  I  much  err,"  said  Squire  Woodbridge,  "  if  the  stocks 


The  People  Ask  Bread  45 

and  the  whipping-post  be  not  the  remedy  their  discon 
tent  calls  for.  I  am  told  that  seditious  and  disorderly 
speech  is  common  at  the  tavern  of  evenings.  This 
presumption  of  the  people  to  talk  concerning  matters 
of  government  is  an  evil  that  has  greatly  increased 
since  the  war,  and  calls  for  sharp  castigation.  These 
numskulls  must  be  taught  their  place  or  't  will  shortly 
be  no  country  for  gentlemen  to  live  in." 

"  A  letter  that  I  had  but  a  day  or  two  ago  from  my 
brother  at  Hatfield/'said  Doctor  Partridge,  "speaks  of 
the  people  being  much  stirred  up  in  Hampshire,  so  that 
some  even  fear  an  attempt  of  the  mob  to  obstruct  the 
court  at  Northampton,  though  my  brother  opined  that 
their  insolence  would  not  reach  so  far.  One  Daniel 
Shays,  an  army  captain,  is  spoken  of  as  a  leader. " 

Timothy  Edwards,  Esquire,  a  tall,  sharp-featured 
man,  with  a  wrinkled  forehead,  had  come  to  the  door 
of  his  store  while  the  doctor  was  talking.  I  should 
vainly  try  to  describe  this  stately  merchant  of  the  olden 
time,  if  the  reader  were  to  confound  him  ever  so  little 
in  his  mind's  eye  with  the  bustling,  smiling,  obsequi 
ous,  modern  shopkeeper.  Even  a  royal  customer 
would  scarcely  have  presumed  so  far  as  to  ask  this  im 
posing  gentleman,  in  powdered  wig,  snuff-colored  coat, 
waistcoat  and  short  clothes,  white  silk  stockings  and 
silver-buckled  shoes,  to  cut  off  a  piece  of  cloth  or  wrap 
up  a  bundle  for  him.  It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that 
commercial  enterprise,  as  illustrated  in  Squire  Ed 
wards' s  store,  was  entirely  subservient  to  the  mainte 
nance  of  the  proprietor's  personal  dignity.  He  now 
addressed  Doctor  Partridge: 

"  Said  your  brother  anything  of  the  report  that  the 
tories  and  British  emissaries  are  stirring  up  the  popu 
lar  discontent,  to  the  end  that  reproach  may  be  brought 


46  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

on  the  new  government  of  the  States,  by  revealing  its 
weakness  as  compared  with  the  king's?  " 

"  Nay,  of  that  he  spoke  not. " 

"For  my  part,  I  do  fully  believe  it,"  resumed  Ed 
wards,  "  and,  moreover,  that  this  is  but  a  branch  of  the 
British  policy,  looking  toward  the  speedy  re-conquering 
of  these  States.  It  is  to  this  end  also  that  they  are 
aiming  to  weaken  us  by  drawing  all  the  money  out  of 
the  country,  whereby,  meanwhile,  the  present  scarcity 
is  caused." 

"  Methinks,  good  sir,"  replied  the  doctor,  "the  great 
expense  of  the  war,  and  the  public  and  private  debts 
made  thereby,  with  the  consequent  taxes  and  suits  at 
law,  do  fully  explain  the  lamentable  state  of  the  coun 
try,  and  the  disquiet  of  the  people,  though  it  may  be 
that  the  king  has  also  designs  against  us." 

"Nay,"  said  the  parson,  in  tones  of  gentle  reproof, 
"  these  all  be  carnal  reasons,  whereby  if  we  seek  to  ex 
plain  the  judgments  of  God,  we  do  fail  of  the  spiritual 
profiting  we  might  find  therein.  For  no  doubt  these 
present  calamities  are  God's  judgment  upon  this  peo 
ple  for  its  sins,  seeing  it  is  well  known  that  the  bloody 
and  cruel  war  now  over,  hath  brought  in  upon  us  all 
manner  of  new  and  strange  sins,  even  as  if  God  would 
have  us  advertised  how  easily  that  liberty  which  we 
have  gained  may  run  into  licentiousness.  Sabbath- 
breaking  and  blasphemy  have  come  in  upon  us  like  a 
flood,  and  the  new  and  heinous  sin  of  card-playing  hath 
contaminated  our  borders,  as  hath  been  of  late  brought 
to  light  in  the  cases  of  Jerubbabel  Galpin  and  Zedekiah 
Armstrong,  who  were  taken  in  the  act,  and  are  even 
now  in  the  stocks.  And  thereby  am  I  reminded  that  I 
had  purposed  to  improve  this  occasion  for  the  reproof 
and  admonition  of  them  that  stand  by. " 


The  People  Ask  Bread  47 

And  thereupon  the  parson  saluted  the  gentlemen  and 
sedately  crossed  the  green  toward  the  stocks,  around 
which  was  a  noisy  crowd  of  men  and  boys.  As  the 
parson  approached,  however,  a  respectful  silence  fell 
upon  them.  There  was  a  general  pulling  off  of  hats 
and  caps,  and  those  in  his  path  stood  obsequiously  aside, 
while  the  little  children,  slinking  behind  the  grown 
folks,  peeped  around  their  legs  at  him.  The  two  hob 
bledehoys  in  the  stocks,  loutish  farmer  boys,  had  been 
already  undergoing  the  punishment  for  about  an  hour. 
Their  backs  were  bent  so  that  their  bodies  resembled 
the  letter  U  laid  on  its  side,  and  their  arms  were 
strained  as  if  they  were  pulling  out  of  the  sockets.  All 
attempted  bravado,  all  affectation  of  stoical  indiffer 
ence,  all  sense  even  of  embarrassment  had  evidently 
been  merged  in  the  demoralization  of  intense  physical 
discomfort,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  lolled  their 
heads,  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  was  elo 
quent  of  abject  and  shameless  misery.  Standing  di 
rectly  in  front  of  these  hapless  youths,  and  using  them 
as  his  text,  the  parson  began  to  admonish  the  people 
in  this  wise : 

"  It  would  seem  the  will  of  God  to  permit  the  adver 
sary  to  try  the  people  of  this  town  with  divers  new  and 
strange  temptations,  not  known  to  our  fathers,  doubt 
less  to  the  end  that  their  graces  may  shine  forth  the 
more  clearly,  even  as  gold  tried  in  the  fire  hath  a  more 
excellent  luster  by  reason  of  its  discipline.  I  have  ex 
amined  myself  with  fasting,  to  see  if  any  weakness  or 
laxity  in  my  office,  as  shepherd  of  this  flock,  might  be 
the  occasion  of  this  license  given  to  Satan.  And  it 
behooveth  you,  each  in  his  own  soul,  and  in  his  own 
household,  to  make  inquisition  lest  some  sin  of  his  or 
theirs  bring  this  new  temptation  of  card-playing  upon 


48  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

our  people,  even  as  the  wedge  of  fine  gold  which  Achan 
took  and  hid  in  his  tent  did  mightily  discomfit  the  host 
of  Israel  with  the  plagues  of  the  Lord.  For  even  as 
for  the  sin  of  Adam  we  are  all  justly  chargeable,  so 
for  the  sins  of  one  another  doth  the  justice  of  God 
afflict  us,  so  that  we  may  find  our  account  in  watching 
over  our  brethren,  even  as  over  ourselves. 

"And  you,  whom  Satan  hath  led  away  captive,"  pur 
sued  the  reverend  orator,  addressing  himself  to  the 
young  men  in  the  stocks,  "  be  ye  thankful  that  ye  have 
not  been  permitted  to  escape  this  temporal  recompense 
of  your  transgression,  which,  if  proved,  may  save  you 
from  the  eternal  flames  of  hell.  Reflect,  whether  it  be 
not  better  to  endure  for  a  season  the  contempt  and 
the  chastisement  of  men,  rather  than  to  bear  the  tor 
ments  and  jeers  of  the  devil  and  his  angels  forever. 

"Behold,"  continued  the  minister,  holding  up  the 
pack  of  cards  taken  from  the  prisoners,  "  with  what  in 
struments  Satan  doth  tempt  mankind,  and  consider 
how  perverse  must  be  the  inclination  which  can  be 
tempted  by  devices  that  do  so  plainly  advertise  their 
devilish  origin.  At  times  Satan  doth  so  shrewdly  mask 
his  wiles  that  if  it  were  possible  the  very  elect  might  be 
deceived,  but  how  evidently  doth  he  here  reveal  his 
handiwork. " 

He  held  up  some  of  the  court  cards. 

"  Take  note  of  these  misshaped  and  deformed  figures, 
heathenishly  attired,  and  with  no  middle  parts  or  legs, 
but  with  two  heads  turned  diverse  ways.  These  are 
not  similitudes  of  man,  who  was  made  in  the  image  of 
his  Maker,  but  doubtless  of  fiends,  revealed  by  Satan 
to  the  artificers  who  do  his  work  in  the  fabrication  of 
these  instruments  of  sin.  Mark  these  figures  of  dia 
monds  and  hearts,  and  these  others  which  I  am  told 


The  People  Ask  Bread  49 

do  signify  spades  and  clubs.  How  plainly  do  they 
typify  ill-gotten  riches  and  bleeding  hearts,  violence 
and  the  grave.  Wretched  youths,  which  of  ye  tempted 
the  other  to  this  sin? " 

"  Je  ast  me  to  dew  it, "  whimpered  Zedekiah. 

"  Kiah,  he  ast  me  fust,"  averred  Jerubbabel. 

"No  doubt  ye  are  both  right,"  said  the  minister 
sternly.  "  When  two  sin  together,  Satan  is  divided  in 
twain,  and  the  one  half  tempteth  the  other.  See  to  it 
that  ye  sin  not  again  on  this  wise,  lest  a  worse  thing 
come  upon  you. " 

Scarcely  had  the  parson  turned  away,  when  a  shout 
from  some  boys  who  had  gone  to  the  corner  to  watch 
for  the  coming  of  the  squire  announced  his  approach, 
and  presently  he  appeared  at  the  corner,  riding  a  fine 
gray  horse,  and  came  on  at  an  easy  canter  across  the 
green.  He  was  a  tall,  broad-shouldered,  finely-propor 
tioned  man  of  about  forty,  with  a  refined  face,  frank 
and  open,  but  rather  haughty  in  expression,  and  with 
piercing  black  eyes ;  a  man  in  whose  every  gesture  lay 
conscious  power  and  obvious  superiority.  As  he  rode 
by  the  silent  crowd,  he  acknowledged  the  salutations  of 
the  people  with  a  courteous  wave  of  the  hand,  but  drew 
rein  only  when  he  reached  the  group  of  dignitaries 
about  the  store.  There  he  dismounted  and  shook 
hands  with  the  parson,  who  had  rejoined  the  party, 
with  Doctor  Partridge,  Squire  Edwards  and  Squire 
Woodbridge. 

"  What  news  bring  you  from  the  convention?  I  trust 
you  have  been  providentially  guided.  I  have  not  failed 
to  remember  you  in  my  prayers,"  said  the  parson. 

"For  which  I  am  deeply  grateful,  reverend  sir,"  re 
plied  Sedgwick.  "  And  truly  I  think  your  prayers  have 
been  effectual.  The  blessing  of  God  has  been  mani- 
4 


50  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

festly  upon  the  convention.  Berkshire  has  not  been 
disgraced,  as  have  been  the  lower  counties,  by  a  sedi 
tious  and  incendiary  body  of  resolutions  on  the  part  of 
her  delegates.  There  were  not  wanting  plenty  of  hot 
heads,  but  they  were  overruled.  I  am  convinced  such 
might  also  have  been  the  issue  in  the  other  counties, 
had  the  gentlemen  put  themselves  forward  as  dele 
gates,  instead  of  leaving  it  all,  in  a  fit  of  disgust,  to  the 
people." 

"  Was  there  any  action  taken  in  favor  of  the  plan  for 
the  emission  of  bills,  which  shall  systematically  depre 
ciate?"  inquired  Squire  Woodbridge. 

"  Such  a  resolution  was  introduced  by  Thomas  Gold, 
of  Pittsfield,  a  pestilent  fellow,  but  we  threw  it  out." 

"  What  was  the  action  on  reduction  of  expenses  of 
suits  at  law? "  inquired  Doctor  Partridge. 

"  Again,  nothing,"  replied  Sedgwick.  "  In  a  word,  we 
refused  to  yield  to  any  of  the  demands  of  the  malcon 
tents,  or  to  hamper  the  legislature  with  any  specific 
recommendations.  You  know  that  we  Berkshire  peo 
ple,  thanks  to  our  delay  in  recognizing  the  State  au 
thority,  have  an  evil  repute  at  Boston  for  a  mobbish  and 
ungovernable  set.  It  seemed  that  this  was  a  good  op 
portunity,  when  the  conventions  of  all  the  other  coun 
ties  were  sending  up  seditious  petitions,  to  make  the 
moderation  of  our  conduct  such  a  contrast  that  there 
might  be  an  end  of  such  talk  in  future." 

Meanwhile,  as  it  became  apparent  to  the  crowd  on 
the  green  that  they  were  not  likely  to  be  vouchsafed 
any  information  unless  they  asked  for  it,  a  brisk  dis 
putation,  conducted  in  an  undertone,  so  that  it  might 
not  reach  the  ears  of  the  gentlemen,  arose  as  to  who 
should  be  the  spokesmen. 

"  I  jest  ez  lieve  go's  not,"  said  Jabez  Flint,  the  tory, 


The  People  Ask  Bread  51 

"only  they  wouldn't  hev  nothin'  ter  say  ter  me  ez  wuz 
a  tory. " 

"  Ef  I  was  ten  year  younger,  I'd  go  in  a  minute," 
said  Israel  Goodrich,  "but  my  j'ints  is  kind  o'  stiff. 
Abner,  there,  he'd  ought  ter  go,  by  rights." 

"  Why  don't  ye  go,  Abner?  Ye  ain't  scairt  o'  speak- 
in'  tew  Squire,  be  ye?"  said  Peleg. 

"  I  ain't  scairt  o'  no  man,  and  ye  know  it  's  well  's 
ye  want  ter  know.  I'd  go  in  a  jiffey,  only  bein'  a  young 
man,  I  don't  like  ter  put  myself  forrard  ter  speak  for 
them  ez  is  older." 

"Why  don't  ye  go  yerself,  Peleg,  if  ye  be  so  dretful 
brave?"  inquired  Israel  Goodrich. 

"That's  so,  Peleg,  why  don't  ye  go?" 

"  I  ain't  no  talker,"  said  Peleg.  "  There's  Ezry,  he'd 
ought  ter  go,  he's  sech  a  good  talker." 

But  Ezra  swallowed  the  bait  without  taking  the  hook. 
"  'T  ain't  talkin'  ez  is  wanted,  it's  askin'.  Any  on  ye 
kin  dew  that  's  well  's  I,"  he  discriminated. 

The  spirit  of  mutual  deference  was  so  strong  that  it 
is  doubtful  how  long  the  contest  of  modesty  might  have 
continued,  had  not  Laban  Jones  suddenly  said : 

"  Ef  none  on  ye  dasn't  ask  what  the  convention  has 
done,  I'll  ask  myself.  I'm  more  scairt  o'  my  hungry 
babbies  than  I  be  o'  the  face  o'  any  man." 

Raising  his  stalwart  figure  to  its  full  height,  and 
squaring  his  shoulders  as  if  to  draw  courage  from  a 
consciousness  of  his  thews  and  sinews,  Laban  strode 
toward  the  store.  But  though  he  took  the  first  steps 
strongly  and  firmly,  his  pace  grew  feebler  and  more 
hesitating  as  he  neared  the  group  of  gentlemen,  and  his 
courage  might  have  ebbed  entirely  had  not  the  parson, 
glancing  around  and  catching  his  eye,  given  him  a 
friendly  nod.  Laban  thereupon  came  up  to  within  a 


52  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

rod  or  two  of  the  group,  and  taking-  off  his  cap,  said  in 
a  small  voice : 

"  Please,  we'd  like  ter  know  what  the  convention  has 
done?" 

Sedgwick,  who  had  his  back  to  him,  turned  quickly, 
and  seeing  Laban,  said  in  a  peremptory  tone : 

"  Ah,  Laban,  you  may  tell  your  friends  that  the  con 
vention  very  wisely  did  nothing  at  all,"  and  as  he  said 
this  he  turned  to  finish  something  that  he  was  saying 
to  Squire  Woodridge.  Laban 's  jaw  fell,  and  he  con 
tinued  to  stand  stock  still  for  several  moments,  his 
dull  features  working  as  he  tried  to  take  in  the  idea. 
Finally,  his  consternation  absorbing  his  timidity,  he 
said  feebly : 

"Nothin',  did  you  say,  Squire?" 

Sedgwick  wheeled  about  with  a  frown,  which,  how 
ever,  changed  into  an  expression  of  contemptuous  pity 
as  he  saw  the  genuineness  of  the  poor  fellow's  discom 
fiture. 

"Nothing,  Laban,"  he  said,  "except  to  resolve  to 
support  the  courts,  enforce  the  laws,  and  punish  all  dis 
orderly  persons.  Don't  forget  that  last,  Laban, — to 
punish  all  disorderly  persons.  Be  sure  to  tell  your 
friends  that.  And  tell  them,  too,  Laban,  that  it  would 
be  well  for  them  to  leave  matters  of  government  to 
their  betters  and  attend  to  their  farms,"  and  as  Laban 
turned  mechanically  and  walked  back,  Sedgwick  added, 
speaking  to  the  gentlemen  about  him : 

"  I  like  not  this  assembling  of  the  people  to  discuss 
political  matters.  We  must  look  to  it,  gentlemen,  or 
we  shall  find  that  we  have  ridded  ourselves  of  a  king 
only  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  democracy,  which  I 
take  it  would  be  a  bad  exchange." 

"Sir,"  said  Edwards,  "you  must  be  in  need  of  re- 


The  People  Ask  Bread  53 

freshment,  after  your  ride.  Come  in,  I  beg  of  you, 
and  come  in,  gentlemen  all.  We  shall  discuss  the 
providential  issue  of  the  convention  more  commodi- 
ously  within  doors,  over  a  suitable  provision  of  Ja 
maica." 

The  suggestion  seemed  to  be  timely  and  acceptable, 
and  one  by  one  the  gentlemen,  standing  aside  with 
ceremonious  politeness  to  let  one  another  precede,  en 
tered  the  store,  Parson  West  leading,  for  it  was  neither 
according  to  the  requirements  of  decorum,  or  his  own 
private  tastes,  that  the  minister  should  decline  a  con 
vivial  invitation  of  this  character. 

"What  did  he  say,  Laban?" 

"What  did  they  dew?" 

"  Did  they  'bolish  the  lawyers? " 

"What  did  they  dew  'baout  more  bills,  Laban, 
hey?" 

"  What  did  they  dew  'baout  the  taxes? " 

"Why  don't  ye  speak,  man?" 

"  What's  the  matter  on  ye? "  were  some  out  of  the  vol 
ley  of  questions  with  which  the  people  hailed  their  chop- 
fallen  deputy  on  his  return,  crowding  forward  around 
him,  plucking  his  sleeves  and  pushing  him  to  get  his 
attention,  for  he  regarded  them  with  a  dazed  expression. 
Finally  he  found  his  voice,  and  said : 

"  Squire  says  ez  haow  they  didn't  dew  nothin'." 

There  was  a  moment's  dead  silence,  then  the  clamor 
burst  out  again. 

"Not  dew  nothin'?" 

"What  d'ye  mean,  Laban?" 

"Nothin'  'baout  the  taxes?" 

"Nothin'  'baout  the  lawyers?" 

"Nothin'  'baout  the  sheriffs'  fees?" 

"Nothin'  'baout  jailin'  for  debt?" 


54  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Nothin'  'baout  takin'  prop'ty  tew  a  valiation, 
Laban?" 

"  Nothin'  'baout  movin'  gov'ment  aout  o'  Bost- 
ing? " 

"Nothin',  I  tell  ye,"  answered  Laban,  in  the  same 
tone  of  utter  discouragement.  "  Squire  says  ez  haow 
the  convention  hain't  done  nothin'  'cept  ter  resolve 
that  ez  courts  sh'd  go  on  an'  the  laws  sh'd  be  kerried 
aout,  an'  disorderly  folks  sh'd  be  punished." 

The  men  looked  from  one  to  another  of  each  other's 
faces,  and  each  wore  the  same  blank  look.  Finally 
Israel  Goodrich  said,  nodding  his  head  with  an  expres 
sion  of  utter  dejection  at  each  word : 

"Wai,  I  swow,  I  be  kind  o'  disapp'inted." 

There  was  a  space  of  silence. 

"So  be  I,"  said  Peleg. 

Presently  Paul  Hubbard's  metallic  voice  was  heard. 

"We  were  fools  not  to  have  known  it.  Didn't  we 
elect  a  General  Court  last  year  on  purpose  to  do  some 
thing  for  us,  and  come  to  get  down  to  Boston  didn't 
the  lawyers  buy  'em  up  or  fool  'em  so  they  didn't  do  a 
thing?  The  people  won't  get  righted  till  they  take 
hold  and  right  themselves,  as  they  did  in  the  war." 

"  Is  that  all  the  Squire  said,  Laban,  every  word? " 
asked  Israel,  and  as  he  did  so  all  eyes  turned  on  Laban 
with  a  faint  gleam  of  hope  that  there  might  yet  be 
some  crumb  of  comfort.  Laban  scratched  his  head. 

"  He  said  suthin'  'baout  gov'ment  bein'  none  o'  our 
business  an'  haow  we'd  better  go  hum  an'  not  be 
loafin'  'raound." 

"  Ef  gov'ment  hain't  no  business  o'  ourn  I'd  like  ter 
know  what  in  time  we  fit  the  king  fer,"  said  Peleg. 

"  That's  so,  why  didn't  ye  ask  Squire  that  question?  " 
said  Meshech  Little. 


The  People  Ask  Bread  55 

"  By  gosh !  "  exclaimed  Abner  Rathbun,  with  a  sud 
den  vehemence,  "ef  gov'ment  ain't  no  business  o'  ourn 
they  made  a  mistake  when  they  taught  us  that  fightin' 
was. " 

"  What  do  ye  mean? "  asked  Israel  half  timorously. 

"Never  mind  what  I  mean,"  replied  Abner,  "only  a 
worm '11  turn  when  it's  trod  on." 

"I  don't  b'lieve  but  that  Laban's  mistook  what  the 
Squire  said.  Ye  ain't  none  tew  clever,  ye  know  yer- 
self,  Laban,  and  I  calc'late  that  ye  didn't  more'n  half 
understan'  what  Squire  meant. " 

It  was  Ezra  Phelps  who  announced  this  cheering 
view,  which  instantly  found  general  favor,  and  poor 
Laban's  limited  mental  powers  were  at  once  the  topic 
of  comments  more  plain  spoken  than  nattering.  Paul 
Hubbard,  indeed,  shook  his  head  and  smiled  bitterly 
at  this  revulsion  of  hopefulness,  but  even  Laban  him 
self  seemed  eager  to  find  ground  for  believing  himself 
to  have  been,  in  this  instance,  an  ass. 

"Ye  see  the  hull  thing's  in  a  nutshell,"  said  Abner. 
"  Either  Laban's  a  fool,  or  else  the  hull  caounty  con 
vention  o'  Berkshire  is  fools,  an'  wuss,  an'  I  ruther 
guess  it's  Laban." 

Perhaps  the  back  room  of  the  store  lacked  for  Squire 
Sedgwick,  a  comparatively  recent  resident  of  the  town, 
those  charms  of  familiarity  it  possessed  for  the  other 
gentlemen,  for  even  as  Abner  was  speaking,  he  came 
out  alone.  As  he  saw  the  still  waiting  and  undimin- 
ished  crowd  of  people,  he  frowned  angrily,  and  mount 
ing  his  horse,  rode  directly  toward  them.  Their  sullen 
aspect,  which  might  have  caused  another  to  avoid  them, 
was  his  very  reason  for  seeking  an  encounter.  As  he 
approached,  his  piercing  eye  rested  a  moment  on  the 
face  of  every  man,  and  as  it  did  so,  each  eye,  impelled 


56  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

by  a  powerful  magnetism,  rose  deferentially  to  his, 
and  every  cap  was  pulled  off. 

"What  is  it,  Ezra?"  he  demanded  sharply,  seeing 
that  Ezra  wished  to  address  him. 

"If  you  please,  Squire,"  said  Ezra,  cap  in  hand, 
"  Laban's  kind  o'  stupid,  an'  we  think  he  must  ha'  got 
what  ye  said  t'other  eend  tew.  Will  ye  kindly  tell  us 
what  the  convention  did?  " 

Stopping  his  horse,  Sedgwick  replied,  in  a  loud, 
clear  voice : 

"  The  convention  declared  that  the  laws  shall  be  en 
forced,  and  all  disorderly  persons  punished  with  the 
stocks  and  with  lashes  on  the  bare  back." 

"  Is  that  all? "  faltered  Ezra. 

"All!  "  exclaimed  Sedgwick,  as  his  eye  rested  a  mo 
ment  on  every  face  before  him.  "  Let  every  one  of 
you  look  out  that  he  does  not  find  it  too  much." 

And  now  he  suddenly  spoke  in  a  tone  of  sharp 
command,  "  Disperse  and  go  to  your  houses  on  the 
pains  and  penalties  of  Sabbath-breaking.  The  suu  is 
down,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  last  glimmer  of  the  yel 
low  orb  as  it  sank  below  the  mountains.  The  people 
stood  still  just  long  enough  to  verify  the  fact  with  a 
glance  that  holy  time  had  begun,  and  instantly  the 
green  was  covered  with  men  and  boys  swiftly  seeking 
shelter  within  their  doors  from  the  eye  of  an  angry 
Deity,  while  from  the  store  hastily  emerged  Squire 
Woodbridge,  Doctor  Partridge  and  the  parson,  and 
made  their  several  ways  homeward  as  rapidly  as  dig 
nity  would  permit. 

Perhaps  ten  minutes  later,  Captain  Perez  Hamlin 
might  have  been  seen  pricking  his  jaded  horse  across 
the  deserted  green.  He  looked  around  curiously  at 
the  new  buildings  and  recent  changes  in  the  appearance 


The  People  Ask  Bread  57 

of  the  village,  and  once  or  twice  seemed  a  little  at  loss 
about  his  route.  But  finally  he  turned  into  a  lane  lead 
ing  northerly  toward  the  hill,  just  at  the  foot  of  which, 
beside  the  brook  that  skirted  it,  stood  a  weather-beaten 
house  of  a  story  and  a  half.  As  he  caught  sight  of  this, 
Perez  spurred  his  horse  to  a  gallop,  and  in  a  few  mo 
ments  the  mother,  through  her  tears  of  joy,  was  trying 
to  trace  in  the  stern  face  of  the  man  the  lineaments 
of  the  boy  whose  soldier's  belt  she  had  buckled  around 
him  nine  years  before. 


CHAPTER  V. 
That  Means  Rebellion! 

ELNATHAN  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  went 
to  church  the  following  day.  Mrs.  Hamlin  was  too 
infirm  to  climb  the  hill  to  the  meeting-house,  and 
Perez's  mood  was  more  inclined  to  blood-spilling  than 
to  God's  worship.  All  day  he  walked  the  house,  his 
fists  clenched,  muttering  curses  through  his  set  teeth, 
and  looking  not  unlike  a  lion  ferociously  pacing  his 
cage.  For  his  mother  was  tearfully  narrating  to  him 
the  share  of  the  general  misery  that  had  fallen  to  their 
lot,  as  a  family,  during  the  past  nine  years ;  how  Elnathan 
had  not  been  able  to  carry  on  his  farm  without  the  aid 
of  the  boys,  and  had  run  behind ;  until  now,  Solomon 
Gleason,  the  school-master,  had  got  hold  of  the  mort 
gage,  and  was  going  to  turn  them  into  the  street  that 
very  week.  But  all  this  with  the  mother,  as  with  the 
brother,  was  as  nothing  compared  with  Reuben's  im 
prisonment  and  sickness  unto  death. 

It  was  Mrs.  Hamlin  who  did  most  of  the  talking,  and 
much  of  what  she  said  fell  unheeded  on  Perez's  ears, 
as  he  walked  unceasingly  to  and  fro  across  the  kitchen. 
For  his  mind  was  occupied  with  all  the  intensity  of  ap 
plication,  of  which  it  was  capable,  with  the  single  point, 
— how  he  was  to  get  Reuben  out  of  jail.  Even  the 
emergency,  which  would  so  soon  be  raised,  by  the  sell 
ing  out  of  the  homestead,  and  the  turning  of  the  family 
into  the  street,  was  subordinated,  in  his  mind,  to  this 


That  Means  Rebellion!  59 

prime  question.  The  picture  of  his  brother,  shaggy- 
haired  and  foul,  wallowing  in  the  filth  of  that  prison 
sty  and  breathing  its  fetid  air,  which  his  memory  kept 
constantly  before  him,  would  have  driven  him  dis 
tracted,  if  for  a  moment  he  had  allowed  himself  to 
doubt  that  he  should  somehow  liberate  him,  and  soon. 
He  had  told  his  mother  nothing  of  the  horrible  condi 
tion  in  which  he  had  found  him.  Under  no  condi 
tions  must  she  know  of  that,  not  even  if  worst  came 
to  worst ;  and  so,  even  while  he  shuddered  at  the  vision 
before  his  mind's  eye,  he  essayed  to  speak  cheerfully 
about  Reuben's  surroundings,  and  his  condition  of 
health.  When  she  told  him  that  Deacon  Nash  had  re 
fused  to  let  him  come  home  to  be  nursed  back  to  health, 
Perez  had  to  comfort  her  by  pretending  that  he  was 
not  so  very  badly  off  where  he  was,  and  would  doubt 
less  recover. 

"Nay,  Perez,"  she  said,  "my  eyes  are  dim;  come 
close  to  me,  that  I  may  read  yours.  You  were  ever 
tender  to  your  old  mother,  and  I  fear  me  you  hide 
somewhat  lest  I  should  disquiet  myself.  Come  here, 
my  son. "  The  brave  man's  eyes,  that  had  never  quailed 
before  the  belching  artillery,  had  now  ado  indeed. 
Such  sickness  at  heart  they  had  to  conceal,  such  keen 
mother's  instinct  they  had  to  elude. 

"  Oh,  Perez !     My  boy  is  dying !     I  see  it !  " 

"  He  is  not,  I  tell  you  he  is  not,"  he  cried  hoarsely, 
breaking  away  from  her.  "  He  is  well.  He  looks 
strong.  Do  you  think  I  would  lie  to  you?  I  tell  you 
he  is  well  and  getting  better. " 

But  after  that  she  would  not  be  comforted.  The 
afternoon  wore  on.  Elnathan  returned  from  meeting, 
and  at  last,  through  the  open  windows  of  the  house, 
came  the  cry,  in  children's  voices: 


60  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Sun's  down !     Sun's  down !  " 

From  the  upper  windows  its  disc  was  yet  visible, 
above  the  crest  of  the  western  mountains,  and  on  the 
hill-tops  it  was  still  high  Sabbath ;  but  in  the  streets 
below  holy  time  was  at  an  end.  The  doors,  behind 
which,  in  Sabbatical  decorum,  the  children  had  been 
pent  up  all  day  long,  swung  open  with  a  simultaneous 
bang,  and  the  boys,  with  a  whoop  and  halloo,  tumbled 
over  each  other  into  the  street,  while  the  girls  tripped 
gayly  after.  Numerous  games  of  "  tag  "  and  "  I  spy  " 
were  organized  in  a  trice,  and  for  the  hour  or  two  be 
tween  that  and  bedtime,  the  small  fry  of  the  village 
devoted  themselves,  without  a  moment's  intermission, 
to  getting  the  Sabbath  stiffening  out  of  their  legs  and 
tongues. 

Nor  was  the  re-awakening  of  the  community  by  any 
means  confined  to  the  boys  and  girls.  For  soon  the 
streets  began  to  be  alive  with  groups  of  men  and 
women,  all  in  their  Sunday  best,  going  to  make  social 
calls.  In  the  majority  of  households,  the  best  clothes, 
unless  there  chanced  to  be  a  funeral,  were  not  put  on 
oftener  than  once  a  week,  when  the  recurrence  of  the 
Sabbath  made  their  assumption  a  religious  duty ;  and 
on  this  account  it  naturally  became  the  custom  to  make 
the  evening  of  that  day  the  occasion  of  formal  social 
intercourse.  As  soon,  too,  as  the  gathering  twilight 
afforded  some  shield  to  their  secret  designs,  sundry 
young  men  with  liberally  greased  hair,  their  arms  stiff 
in  the  sleeves  of  the  unusual  Sunday  coat,  their  feet, 
accustomed  to  the  immediate  contact  of  the  soil,  en 
cased  in  well-larded  shoes,  might  have  been  seen  glid 
ing  under  the  shadows  of  friendly  fences,  and  along 
by-paths,  with  that  furtive  and  hang-dog  air  which,  in  all 
ages,  has  characterized  the  chicken-thief  and  the  lover. 


That  Means  Rebellion!  61 

In  front  of  the  door  of  Squire  Sedgwick 's  house  stood 
his  traveling  carriage,  with  well-groomed  horses.  On 
the  box  was  Sol,  the  coachman,  one  of  the  Squire's  negro 
freedmen,  whose  allegiance  to  the  Sedgwick  family 
was  not  in  the  least  shaken  by  the  abolition  of  slavery 
in  the  State  by  the  adoption  of  the  Bill  of  Rights  six 
yearH  before. 

"I  dunno  noffin'  'bout  no  Bill  Wright,"  was  Sol's 
final  dismissal  of  the  subject. 

"Drive  to  Squire  Woodbridge's  house,  Sol,"  said 
Sedgwick,  as  he  stepped  into  the  carriage. 

Squire  Woodbridge  was  at  the  gate  of  his  house, 
apparently  about  starting  on  his  usual  evening 
visit  to  the  store,  when  the  carriage  drove  up. 
Sedgwick  alighted,  and  taking  the  other  a  little  aside, 
said: 

"  It  is  necessary  for  me  to  start  to-night  for  Boston, 
where  I  have  some  important  cases.  I  regret  it,  be 
cause  I  would  rather  be  at  home  just  now.  The  spirit 
among  the  people  is  unruly,  and  while  I  do  not  antici 
pate  serious  trouble,  I  think  it  is  a  time  when  gentle 
men  should  make  their  influence  felt  in  their  communi 
ties.  I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  interests  of 
Stockbridge  and  of  the  government  are  entirely  safe 
in  your  hands,  as  selectman  and  magistrate. " 

"  I  hope,  sir,  that  I  am  equal  to  the  duties  of  my  posi 
tion,"  replied  Woodbridge,  stiffly. 

"  Allow  me  again  to  assure  you  that  I  have  not  the 
smallest  doubt  of  it,"  said  Sedgwick,  affably,  "  but  I 
thought  it  well  to  notify  you  of  my  own  necessary  de 
parture,  and  to  put  you  on  your  guard.  The  bearing 
of  the  people  on  the  green  last  evening,  of  which  I  saw 
more  than  you  did,  was  unmistakably  sullen,  and  their 
disappointment  at  the  refusal  of  the  convention  to  lend 


62  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

itself  to  their  seditious  and  impracticable  desires,  is 
very  bitter." 

"  Undoubtedly  the  result  of  the  convention  has  been 
to  increase  the  popular  agitation.  I  had  the  honor  to 
represent  to  you  before  it  was  held  that  such  would  be 
its  effect,  at  which  time,  I  believe,  you  held  a  different 
view.  Nevertheless,  I  opine  that  you  exaggerate  the 
degree  of  the  popular  agitation.  It  would  be  natural 
that,  being  a  comparatively  recent  resident,  you  should 
be  less  apt  to  judge  the  temper  of  the  townsfolk  than 
we  who  are  longer  here. " 

A  half  humorous,  half  impatient  expression  on  Sedg- 
wick's  face  was  the  only  indication  he  gave  that  he 
had  recognized  the  other's  huffy  and  bristling  manner. 

"Your  opinion,  sir,"  he  replied,  with  undiminished 
affability,  "  tends  to  relieve  my  apprehensions.  I  trust 
the  event  will  justify  it. 

"And  how  does  Miss  Desire  this  evening?"  he 
added,  saluting  with  doffed  hat  and  a  courtly  bow  a 
young  lady  who  had  just  come  up,  with  the  apparent 
intention  of  going  in  at  the  Woodbridge  gate. 

"  I  do  but  indifferent  well,  sir.  As  well  as  a  damsel 
may  do  in  a  world  where  gentlemen  keep  not  their 
promises,"  she  answered,  with  a  curtsey,  so  saucily 
deep  that  the  crisp  crimson  silk  of  her  skirt  rustled  on 
the  ground. 

"  Nay,  but  tell  me  the  caitiff's  name,  and  let  me  be 
myself  your  knight,  fair  mistress,  to  redress  your 
wrongs. " 

"  Nay,  't  is  yourself,  sir.  Did  you  not  promise  you 
would  come  and  hear  me  play  upon  my  piano  when  it 
came  from  Boston,  and  I  have  had  it  a  week  already." 

"  And  I  did  not  know  it !  Yes,  now  I  bethink  my 
self,  Mrs.  Sedgwick  spoke  thereof,  but  this  convention 


That  Means  Rebellion!  63 

has  left  me  not  a  moment.  But  damsels  are  not  politi 
cal  ;  no  doubt  you  have  heard  nothing  of  the  conven 
tion." 

"  Oh,  yes;  't  is  that  all  the  poor  want  to  be  rich,  and 
to  hang  all  the  lawyers.  I've  heard.  'T  is  a  fine 
scheme." 

"  No  doubt  the  piano  is  most  excellent  in  sound. " 

"  It  goes  middling  well,  but  already  I  weary  me  of 
my  bargain. " 

"Are  you  then  in  trade,  Miss  Desire?" 

"  A  little.  Papa  said  if  I  would  not  tease  him  to  let 
me  go  to  New  York  this  winter,  he  would  have  me  a 
piano.  I  know  not  what  came  over  me  that  I  con 
sented.  I  shall  go  into  a  decline  ere  spring.  The 
ugly  dress  and  the  cow-like  faces  of  the  people  make 
me  sick  at  heart  and  give  me  bad  dreams,  and  the  very 
horses  neigh  in  better  English  than  the  farmers  talk. 
Alack,  't  is  a  dreary  place  for  a  damsel !  But,  no  doubt, 
I  have  interrupted  some  weighty  discussion.  I  bid  you 
good  even,  sir,"  and,  once  more  curtseying,  the  girl 
went  up  the  path  to  the  house,  much  to  her  uncle 
Jahleel's  relief,  who  had  no  taste  for  badinage,  and 
wanted  to  get  on  to  the  store,  whither  presently  he 
was  on  his  way,  while  Sedgwick's  carriage  rolled  off 
toward  Boston. 

About  a  mile  out  of  the  village,  the  carriage  passed 
two  men  standing  by  the  roadside,  earnestly  talking. 
These  men  were  Perez  Hamlin  and  Abner  Rathbun. 

"You  remember  the  ice-hole,"  said  Perez,  referring 
to  an  extraordinary  cleft  or  chasm,  of  great  depth,  and 
extremely  difficult  and  perilous  of  access,  situated  near 
the  top  of  Little  Mountain,  a  short  distance  from 
Stockbridge. 

"Yas,"  said  Abner,  "I  recollect  it  well.     I  guess 


64  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

you  an'  I,  Perez,  air  about  the  only  fellers  in  taown 
ez  hev  been  clean  through  it. " 

"  My  plan  is  this,"  said  Perez.  "  Let's  kidnap  Deacon 
Nash,  carry  him  up  to  the  ice-hole,  and  keep  him  there 
till  he  makes  out  a  release  for  Reub ;  then  just  carry 
down  the  paper  to  jail,  get  Reub  out,  and  across  the 
York  State  line,  and  send  back  word  to  the  town  where 
to  find  the  deacon." 

"  But  what'll  we  dew,  ourselves? " 

"  Of  course  we  shall  have  to  stay  in  York.  Why 
shouldn't  we?  There's  no  chance  for  a  poor  man  here. 
The  chances  are  that  we  should  both  be  in  jail  for  debt 
before  spring." 

"  But  what  be  I  a-goin'  to  dew  with  my  little  'Bijah? 
He's  all  I've  got,  an'  I  can't  leave  him." 

"  My  father  and  mother  will  take  care  of  him,  and 
bring  him  with  them  to  York  State,  for  I'm  going  to  get 
them  right  over  there  as  soon  as  they're  sold  out. 
There's  a  chance  for  poor  folks  west;  there's  no  chance 
here." 

"  Perez,  there's  my  fist.     By  gosh,  I'm  with  ye!  " 

"Abner,  it's  a  risky  business,  and  you  haven't  got 
the  call  I've  got,  seeing  that  Reub  isn't  your  brother. 
I'm  asking  a  good  deal  of  you,  Abner." 

"Don't  ye  say  nothin'  more  'baout  it,"  said  Abner, 
violently  shaking  the  hand  he  still  held,  while  he  reas 
suringly  clapped  Perez  on  the  back.  "  Dew  ye  recol 
lect  that  time  tew  Stillwater,  when  ye  pulled  them  tew 
Britishers  off  o'  me?  Per  common  doin's  I  don't  cal- 
c'late  ez  two  fellers  is  more'n  my  fair  share  in  a  scrim 
mage,  but  ye  see  my  arm  wuz  busted,  an'  if  ye  hadn't 
come  along  jest  when  ye  did,  I  guess  the  buryin'  squad 
would  ha'  cussed  some  on  'caount  of  my  size  that  even- 
in*.  But,  Perez,  I  dunno  what  makes  me  speak  o'  that 


That  Means  Rebellion!  65 

naow.  It  wouldn't  make  no  odds  ef  I'd  never  sot  eyes 
onto  ye  afore,  I'd  help  any  feller  'baout  sech  a  job  ez  this 
ere,  jest  fer  the  fun  on't.  Risky?  Yes,  it's  risky; 
that's  the  fun.  I  hain't  hed  my  blood  fairly  flowin' 
afore  sence  the  war.  It  doos  me  more  good  nor  a  box 
o'pills.  Jerewsalem,  how  riled  deacon'll  be!  " 

The  two  young  men  walked  slowly  back  to  the  vil 
lage,  earnestly  discussing  the  details  of  their  daring 
enterprise,  and  turning  up  the  lane  leading  to  the 
Hamlin  house,  paused,  still  conversing,  at  the  gate. 
As  they  stood  there,  the  house  door  opened  and  a 
young  girl  came  out  and  approached  them,  while  Mrs. 
Hamlin,  standing  in  the  door,  said : 

"  Perez,  this  is  Prudence  Fennell,  George  Fennell's 
girl.  She  heard  you  had  seen  her  father,  and  came  to 
ask  you  about  him." 

The  girl  came  near  to  Perez,  and  looked  up  at  him 
with  a  questioning  face,  in  which  anxiety  was  strug 
gling  with  timidity.  She  was  a  rosy-cheeked  lass,  of 
about  sixteen,  well  grown  for  her  age,  and  dressed  in 
coarse  woolen  homespun,  while  beneath  her  short  skirt 
appeared  a  pair  of  heavy  shoes,  which  evidently  bore 
very  little  relation  to  the  shape  of  the  feet  within  them. 
Her  eyes  were  gray  and  frank,  and  the  childishness 
which  the  rest  of  her  face  was  outgrowing  still  lin 
gered  in  the  pout  of  her  lips. 

"  Is  my  father  much  sick,  sir? " 

"  He  is  very  sick,"  said  Perez. 

The  pitifulness  of  his  tone,  no  doubt,  more  than  his 
words,  betrayed  the  truth  to  her  fearful  heart,  for  all 
the  color  ran  down  out  of  her  cheeks,  and  he  seemed 
to  see  nothing  of  her  face,  save  two  great  terrified  eyes, 
which  piteously  beseeched  a  merciful  reply,  even  while 
they  demanded  the  uttermost  truth. 
5 


66  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"Is  he  going  to  die?" 

Perez  felt  a  strong  tugging  at  his  heart  strings,  in 
which  for  the  moment  he  forgot  his  own  personal 
trouble. 

"  I  don't  know,  my  child,"  he  replied,  very  gently. 

"Oh,  he's  going  to  die.  I  know  he's  going  to  die," 
she  cried,  still  looking  through  her  welling  eyes  a  mo 
ment,  to  see  if  he  would  not  contradict  her  intuition ; 
and  then,  as  he  looked  on  the  ground,  making  no  reply, 
she  turned  away  and  walked  slowly  down  the  lane, 
sobbing  as  she  went. 

"Abner,  we  must  manage  somehow  to  get  George 
out,  too." 

"  Poor  little  gal,  so  we  must,  Perez.  We'll  kidnap 
Schoolmaster  Gleason  'long  with  deacon.  But  it's  a 
pretty  big  job,  Perez,  two  o'  them  and  only  two  of  us." 

"  I'm  afraid  we're  trying  more  than  we  can  do,  Abner. 
If  we  try  too  much  we  shall  fail  entirely.  I  don't 
know,  I  don't  know.  There's  the  whole  jail  full,  and 
one  ought  to  come  out  as  well  as  another.  All  have 
got  friends  that  feel  just  as  we  do."  He  reflected  a 
moment.  "By  the  Lord!  we'll  try  it,  Abner.  Poor 
little  girl!  It's  a  desperate  game,  anyway,  and  we 
might  as  well  play  for  high  stakes." 

Abner  went  down  the  lane  to  the  green,  and  Perez 
went  into  the  house  and  sat  down  in  the  dark  to  ponder 
the  new  difficulties  with  which  the  idea  of  also  liberat 
ing  Fennell  complicated  their  first  plan.  Bold  soldier 
as  he  was,  practised  in  the  school  of  Marion  and  Sumter 
in  the  surprises  and  stratagems  of  partisan  warfare,  he 
was  forced  to  admit  that  if  their  project  had  been  haz 
ardous  before,  this  new  feature  made  it  almost  fool 
hardy.  In  great  perplexity  he  had  finally  determined 
to  go  to  bed,  hoping  that  the  refreshment  of  morning 


That  Means  Rebellion!  67 

would  bring  a  clearer  head  and  a  more  sanguine  mood, 
when  there  was  a  knock  on  the  door.  It  was  Abner, 
looking  very  much  excited. 

"Come  out!  Come  out!  Crypus!  Come  out,  I've 
got  news." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Perez,  eagerly,  stepping  forth 
into  the  darkness. 

"  That  wuz  a  putty  leetle  plan  o'  yourn,  Perez." 

"Yes,  yes." 

He  knew  Abner  had  not  come  to  tell  him  that,  for 
his  voice  trembled  with  suppressed  excitement,  and  the 
grip  of  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  was  convulsive. 

"  P'raps  we  could  ha'  kerried  it  aout,  an'  p'raps  we 
should  ha'  kerflummuxed.  Ye've  got  grit  an'  I've  got 
size,"  pursued  Abner.  'T  wuz  wuth  tryin'  on.  I'm 
kind  o'  sorry  we  ain't  a-goin'  ter  try  it." 

"  What  the  devil  do  you  mean,  Abner?  Not  going 
to  try  it? " 

"No,  Perez,  we  ain't  goin'  tew  try  it,  leastways,  not 
the  same  plan  we  calc'lated,  an'  we  ain't  a-goin'  tew 
try  it  alone,"  and  he  leaned  over  and  hissed  in  Perez's 
ear, 

"  The  hull  caounty  o'  Berkshire  's  a-goin'  ter  help  us. " 

Perez  looked  at  him  with  horror.  He  was  not  drunk ; 
he  must  be  going  crazy. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Abner? "  he  said  soothingly. 

"Ye  think  I  don't  know  what  I  be  a-talkin*  'baout, 
don't  ye,  Perez?  Wai,  jest  hold  on  a  minute.  A  feller 
hez  jest  got  in,  a-ridin'  express  from  Northampton,  to 
fetch  word  that  the  people  in  Hampshire  hez  riz,  and 
stopped  the  courts.  Fifteen  hundred  men,  with  Cap 
tain  Dan  Shays  tew  their  head,  stopped  'em.  Least 
ways,  they  sent  word  to  the  jedges  that  they  kind  o' 
wished  they  wouldn't  hold  no  more  courts  till  the  laws 


68  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

wuz  changed,  and  the  jedges  they  concluded  that  the 
advice  o'  so  many  fellers  with  guns  wuz  wuth  suthin', 
so  they  'journed. " 

"That  means  rebellion,  Abner." 

"  In  course  it  doos.  An'  it  means  the  Lord  ain't 
quite  dead  yit.  That's  what  it  means." 

"  But  what's  that  got  to  do  with  Reub  and  George? " 

"  Dew  with  em?  why,  man  alive,  don't  ye  understand? 
Don't  ye  s'pose  Berkshire  folks  hez  got  ez  much  grit 
ez  the  Hampshire  fellers,  an'  don't  ye  s'pose  we  hev 
ez  much  call  to  hev  a  grudge  ag'in  courts?  Ye  ought 
ter  been  daown  tew  the  tavern  ter  see  haow  the  fellers 
cut  up  when  the  news  come.  'T  was  like  a  match 
dropping  intew  a  powder  bar'l.  Tuesday's  court  day 
ter  Barrington,  an'  ef  there  ain't  more'n  a  thaousand 
men  on  hand  with  clubs  an*  guns,  ter  stop  that  air 
court,  why,  call  me  a  skunk.  An'  when  that  air  court's 
stopped,  that  air  jail's  a-comin'  open,  or  it's  a-comin' 
daown,  one  o'  the  tew,  naow." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
Perez  Defines  His  Position 

WE  who  live  in  these  days,  when  press  and  telegraph 
may  be  said  to  have  almost  rendered  the  tongue  a 
superfluous  member,  quite  fail  to  appreciate  the  rapidity 
with  which  intelligence  was  formerly  transmitted  from 
mouth  to  mouth.  Virgil's  description  of  hundred- 
tongued  Rumor  appeared  by  no  means  so  poetical  an 
exaggeration  to  our  ancestors  as  it  does  to  us.  Al 
though  the  express  messenger  bearing  the  news  of  the 
Northampton  uprising  did  not  reach  Stockbridge  tavern 
a  minute  before  half-past  seven  in  the  evening,  there 
were  very  few  families  in  the  village  or  the  outlying 
farmhouses  which  had  not  heard  it  ere  bedtime,  an 
hour  and  a  half  later.  And  by  the  middle  of  the  fol 
lowing  forenoon  there  was  in  all  Southern  Berkshire 
only  here  and  there  a  family,  off  on  a  lonely  hillside 
or  in  a  hidden  valley,  in  which  it  was  not  the  subject 
of  debate. 

In  the  village  that  morning,  what  few  industries  still 
supported  a  languishing  existence,  in  spite  of  the  hard 
times,  were  wholly  suspended.  The  farmer  left  his 
rowen  to  lie  in  the  field  and  take  the  chances  of  the 
weather ;  the  miller  gave  his  mill-stream  a  holiday,  the 
carpenter  left  the  house  half -shingled  with  rain  threat 
ening,  and  the  painter  abandoned  his  brush  in  the  pot, 
to  collect  on  the  street  corners  with  their  neighbors 
and  discuss  the  portentous  aspect  of  affairs.  And  even 


70  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

when  there  was  little  or  no  discussion,  to  stand  silently 
in  groups  was  something.  Thus  merely  to  be  in  com 
pany  was,  to  these  excited  men,  a  necessity  and  a  sat 
isfaction,  for  so  does  the  electricity  of  a  common  ex 
citement  magnetize  human  beings  that  they  have  an 
attraction  for  one  another  and  are  drawn  together  by 
a  force  not  felt  at  other  times.  There  were  not  less 
than  three  hundred  men,  a  quarter  of  the  entire  popu 
lation  of  the  town,  on  and  about  the  village  green  at 
ten  o'clock  that  Monday  morning, — twice  as  many  as 
had  assembled  to  hear  the  news  from  the  convention 
of  the  Saturday  preceding. 

The  great  want  of  the  people,  for  the  most  part 
tongue-tied  farmers,  seemed  to  be  to  hear  talk,  to  have 
something  said,  and  wherever  a  few  brisk  words  gave 
promise  of  a  lively  dialogue,  the  speakers  were  at  once 
surrounded  by  a  dense  throng  of  listeners.     The  thirst 
ing  eagerness  with  which  they  turned  their  open  mouths 
toward  each  one  as  he  began  to  speak,  in  the  hope  that 
he   could  give   expression  to  some  one  of  the  ideas 
formlessly  astir  in  their  own  stolid  minds,  was  pathetic 
testimony  to  the  depth  to  which  the  iron  of  poverty, 
debt,  judicial  and  governmental  oppression  had  entered 
\   their  souls.     They  had  thought  little  and  vaguely,  but 
\  they  had  felt  much  and  keenly,  and  it  was  evident  that 
j  the  man  who  could  voice  their  feelings,  however  par- 
I  tially,  however  perversely,  and  for  his  own  ends,  would 
/  be  master  of  their  actions. 

k Abner  was  not  present,  having  gone  at  an  early  hour 

over  to  the  Lenox  furnaces  to  carry  the  news  from 
Northampton,  if  it  should  not  have  arrived  there,  and 
to  notify  the  workmen  that  there  would  be  goings-on 
at  Harrington  on  the  following  Tuesday,  and  that  they 
were  expected  to  be  on  hand.  Paul  Hubbard,  also, 


Perez  Defines   His  Position  71 

had  not  come  down  from  West  Stockbridge,  although 
the  news  had  reached  that  place  the  night  before.  But 
from  the  disposition  of  the  man,  there  could  be  no  ques 
tion  that  he  was  busily  at  work  molding  his  particular 
myrmidons,  the  iron-workers,  into  good  insurrectionary 
material.  There  was  no  doubt  that  he  would  have  them 
down  at  Barrington  on  time,  whoever  else  was  there. 

In  the  dearth  of  any  further  details  of  the  Northamp 
ton  uprising,  the  talk  among  the  crowd  on  the  village 
green  turned  largely  upon  reminiscences  and  anecdotes 
of  the  disturbances  at  the  same  place,  and  at  Hatfield, 
four  or  five  years  previous.  Ezra  Phelps,  who  had 
been  concerned  in  them,  having  subsequently  removed 
from  Hatfield  to  Stockbridge,  enjoyed  by  virtue  of  that 
fact  an  oracular  eminence,  and  as  he  stood  under  the 
shadow  of  the  buttonwood  tree  before  the  tavern  relat 
ing  his  experiences,  the  people  hung  upon  his  lips. 

"  Parson  Ely,"  he  explained,  "  Parson  Sam'l  Ely  wuz 
kind  o'  tew  the  head  on  us.  He  wuz  a  nice  sort  o' 
man,  I  tell  yew.  He  wuz  the  only  parson  I  ever  seen 
ez  hed  any  feelin'  in  his  heart  for  poor  folks,  'nless  it 
be  some  o'  them  ere  Methody  an'  Baptist  preachers  ez 
hez  come  in  sence  the  war,  an'  I  calc'late  they  ain't 
reg'lar  parsons  nuther.  Leastways,  t'other  parsons, 
they  turned  Parson  Ely  aout  o'  the  ministry  down  to 
Somers  where  he  wuz,  fer  tellin'  the  poor  folks  they 
didn't  git  their  rights.  Times  wuz  hard  four  or  five 
years  ago,  though  they  warn't  so  all-fired  hard  ez  they 
be  naow.  Taxes  wuz  high  'nough,  an*  money  wuz  dret- 
ful  skurce,  an'  there  wuz  lots  o'  la  win'  an'  suein'  o' 
poor  folks.  But  golly!  ef  we'd  ha'  known  haow  much 
wuss  all  them  things  wuz  a-goin'  ter  git,  we  sh'd  ha'  said 
we  wuz  well  off.  But  ye  see  we  warn't  so  used  ter  be- 
in'  starved  an'  cheated,  an'  jailed,  an'  knocked  'raound 


72  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

then  's  we  be  sence,  an*  so  we  wuz  kind  o'  desprit,  an' 
a  slew  on  us  come  daown  from  Hatfield  tew  Northamp 
ton  an'  stopped  the  court,  when  't  wuz  goin'  ter  set  in 
the  spring  o'  'eighty-two.  I  calc'late  we  went  tew 
work  'baout  the  same  ez  Dan  Shays  an'  them  fellers 
did  last  week.  Wai,  arter  we'd  did  the  job  an'  gone 
hum  agin,  Sheriff  Porter  up  an'  nabbed  the  parson,  an' 
chucked  him  inter  jail.  He  wuz  'long  with  us,  ye  see, 
though  he  warn't  no  more  tew  blame  nor  any  of  us. 
Wai,  ye  see,  we  thought  't  wouldn't  be  ezackly  fair  ter 
let  parson  git  inter  trouble  fer  befriendin'  on  us,  an' 
so  'baout  three  hundred  on  us  went  daown  ter  North 
ampton  ag'in,  and  broke  open  the  jail  an*  took  parson 
aout.  The  sheriff  didn't  hev  nothin'  ter  say  when  we 
wuz  there,  but  ez  soon  ez  we'd  gone  hum,  he  up  an' 
took  three  o'  the  parson's  friends  as  lived  ter  Northamp 
ton  an'  chucked  'em  inter  jail  fer  ter  hold  ez  sort  o'  hos- 
tiges.  He  thought  he'd  hev  a  ring  in  the  parson's  nose 
that  ere  way,  so  's  he  wouldn't  dass  dew  riothin'. 
There  warn't  no  law  nor  no  reason  in  sech  doin's,  but 
't  wuz  plantin*  time,  leastway  gittin'  on  tew  it,  and  he 
thought  the  farmers  wouldn't  leave  their  farms,  not  fer 
nothin'.  But  he  mistook.  Ye  see  we  wuz  fightin' 
mad.  'Baout  five  hundred  on  us  took  our  guns  an' 
made  tracks  fer  Northampton.  Sheriff  he'd  got  more'n 
a  thousand  milishy  ter  defend  the  jail,  but  the  milishy 
didn't  want  ter  fight,  an'  we  did,  an'  that  made  a  sight 
o'  odds,  fer  when  we  stopped  nigh  to  the  taown  an'  sent 
word  that  ef  he  didn't  let  them  fellers  aout  o'  jail  we'd 
come  an'  take  'em  aout,  he  let  'em  aout  dum  quick." 

"  What  did  they  do  next?  "  inquired  Obadiah  Weeks, 
as  Ezra  paused  with  the  appearance  of  having  made  an 
end  of  his  narration. 

"  That  wuz  the  eend  on't,"  said  Ezra.     "  By  that  time 


Perez  Defines  His  Position  73 

gov'ment  seen  the  people  wuz  in  arnest,  an*  quit  fool- 
in'.  Gin'ral  Court  passed  a  law  pard'nin'  all  on  us  fer 
what  we'd  done.  They  allers  pardons  fellers,  ye  see, 
when  there's  tew  many  on  'em  ter  lick,  gov'ment  doos; 
an'  pretty  soon  arter,  they  passed  that  air  tender  law 
fer  ter  help  poor  folks  ez  hed  debts,  so's  prop'ty  could 
be  offered  tew  a  fair  valiation  instid  o'  cash." 

"That  air  law  wuz  repealed  sence,"  said  Peleg. 
"  Ef  we  hed  it  naow,  mebbe  we  could  git  'long,  spite  o' 
there  bein'  no  money  a-circulatin'." 

"In  course  it  wuz  repealed,"  said  Israel.  "They 
only  passed  it'  cause  they  wuz  scairt  o'  the  people.  The 
lawyers  an'  rich  folks  got  it  repealed  soon  ez  ever  they 
dasted.  Dumit!  gov'ment  don't  keer  nothin'  fer  what 
poor  folks  wants,  'nless  they  gits  up  riots.  That's  the 
only  way  they  kin  git  laws  changed,  's  fur  's  I  see. 
Ain't  that  'baout  so,  Peleg? " 

"  Ye  ain't  fur  out  o'  the  way,  Isr'el.  We  hain't  got 
no  money,  an'  they  don't  keer  what  we  says,  but  when 
we  takes  hold  an'  doos  sum  thin',  they  wakes  up  a  lee- 
tie.  We  can't  make  'em  hear  us,  but  by  jocks!  we  kin 
make  'em  feel  us,"  and  Peleg  pointed  the  sentiment 
with  that  cornerwise  nod  of  the  head  which  is  the  rus 
tic  gesture  of  emphasis. 

"I  calc'late  ye've  hit  the  nail  on  the  head,  Peleg," 
said  a  grizzled  farmer.  "  We  poor  folks  hez  to  git  our 
rights  by  our  hands,  same  ez  we  gits  our  livin'." 

But  at  this  moment  a  sudden  hush  fell  upon  the 
group,  and  from  the  general  direction  of  all  eyes,  it 
was  evidently  the  approach  of  Perez  Hamlin,  as  he 
crossed  the  green  toward  the  tavern,  which  was  the 
cause  thereof.  Although  Perez  had  arrived  in  town 
only  at  dusk  on  the  preceding  Saturday,  and  excepting 
his  Sunday  evening  stroll  with  Abner  had  kept  within 


74  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

doors,  the  tongue  of  rumor  had  not  only  notified  nearly 
the  entire  community  of  his  arrival,  but  had  adorned 
that  bare  fact  with  a  profuse  embroidery  of  conjecture, 
as  to  his  recent  experiences,  present  estate,  and  inten 
tions  for  the  future. 

An  absence  of  nine  years  had,  however,  made  him 
personally  a  stranger  to  most  of  the  people.  The 
young  men  had  been  mere  lads  when  he  went  away, 
while  of  the  elders,  many  were  dead  or  removed.  As 
he  approached  the  group  around  Ezra,  he  recognized 
but  few  of  the  faces,  all  of  which  were  turned  upon 
him  with  a  common  expression  of  curious  scrutiny. 
There  was  Meshech  Little.  Him  he  shook  hands  with, 
and  also  with  Peleg  and  Israel  Goodrich.  Ezra  had 
come  to  the  village  since  his  day. 

"Surely  this  is  Abe  Konkapot,"  he  said,  extending 
his  hand  to  a  fine-looking  Indian.  "  Why,  Abe,  I  heard 
the  Stockbridge  Indians  had  moved  out  to  York  State." 

"You  hear  true,"  responded  the  smiling  Indian. 
"  Heap  go.  Some  stay.  No  want  to  go." 

"  Widder  Nimham's  gal  Lu  could  tell  ye  'baout  why 
Abe  don't  want  ter  go,  I  guess,"  observed  Obadiah 
Weeks,  who  directed  the  remark,  however,  not  so 
much  to  Perez  as  to  some  of  the  half -grown  young 
men,  from  whom  it  elicited  a  responsive  snicker  at 
Abe's  expense. 

Indeed,  after  the  exchange  of  the  first  greetings,  it 
became  apparent  that  Perez's  presence  was  a  damper 
on  the  conversation.  The  simple  fact  was,  the  people 
did  not  recognize  him  as  one  of  themselves.  It  was 
not  that  his  dress,  although  a  uniform,  was  better  or 
costlier  than  theirs.  The  blue  stockings  were  thread 
bare,  and  had  been  often  mended,  and  the  coat,  of  the 
same  hue,  was  pitiably  white  in  the  seams,  while  the 


Perez   Defines  His  Position 


75 


original  buff  of  the  waistcoat  and  knee-breeches  had 
faded  to  a  whitey-brown.  But  the  erect  soldierly  car 
riage  of  the  wearer,  and  that  neatness  and  trimness  in 
details  which  military  experience  renders  habitual, 
made  this  frayed  and  time-stained  uniform  seem  almost 
elegant,  as  compared  with  the  clothes  that  hung  slouch- 
ily  upon  the  men  around  him.  Their  faces  were  rough 
and  unshaven,  their  hair  unkempt,  their  feet  bare  or 
covered  with  dusty  shoes,  and  they  had  generally  left 
their  coats  at  home.  Perez  was  clean-shaven ;  his  shoes, 
although  they  barely  held  together,  were  neatly 
brushed  and  the  steel  buckles  polished ;  while  his  hair 
was  gathered  back  over  his  ears,  and  tied  with  a  black 
ribbon  in  a  queue  behind,  after  the  fashion  of  gentlemen. 
But  Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  also  wore  their  hair  in 
this  manner,  while  shoes  and  clean-shaved  faces  were 
occasional  indulgences  with  every  bumpkin  who  stood 
around.  It  was  not  then  alone  any  details  of  dress, 
but  a  certain  distinction  in  air  and  bearing  about  Perez, 
which  had  struck  them.  Thejlis^iglin^^ 
sppnsibiljfrfc__  and  the  officer's  constanF~necessity  ol 
maintaining  anaspecFof  authority  anor'fflgnity  before" 
his  men,  nad^left  refining  marks  upon  his  face,  which 
distinguished  it  as  a  different  sort  from  the  qpiintew 
nances  about  him,  with  their  expression  of  pathetic 
stolidity  or  boorish  shrewdness.  In  a  word,  although 
they^Enew  old  EInathan  Hamlin  to  be  one  of  them 
selves,  they  instinctively  felt  that  this  son  of  his  had 
become  a  gentleman. 

At  any  time  this  consciousness  would  have  produced 
constraint  and  checked  spontaneous  conversation,  but 
now,  just  at  the  moment  when  the  demarcation  of 
classes  was  taking  the  character  of  open  hostility,  it 
produced  a  sentiment  of  repulsion  and  enmity.  His 


j6  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

place  was  on  the  other  side :  not  with  the  people,  but 
with  the  gentlemen,  the  lawyers,  the  parsons,  and  the 
judges.  Why  did  he  come  spying  among  them? 

Perez,  without  guessing  the  reason  of  it,  began  to  be 
conscious  of  the  unsympathetic  atmosphere,  and  was 
about  to  move  away,  when  Israel  Goodrich  remarked, 
with  the  air  of  wishing  to  avoid  an  appearance  of  churl 
ishness, 

"  Le's  see,  Perez,  ye've  been  gone  nigh  on  ter  nine 
years.  Ye  must  find  some  changes  in  the  taown." 

Israel,  as  a  man  of  more  considerable  social  impor 
tance  than  most  of  those  who  stood  around,  and  being, 
moreover,  old  enough  to  be  Perez's  father,  had  been 
less  affected  by  the  impulse  of  class  jealousy  than  the 
others. 

"  I've  been  home  only  one  day,  Mr.  Goodrich,"  said 
Perez  quietly,  "but  I've  noticed  some  changes  already. 
When  I  went  away  every  man  in  town  had  a  farm  of 
his  own.  As  far  as  I've  seen  since  I've  been  back,  a 
few  rich  men  have  got  pretty  near  all  the  farms  now, 
and  the  men  who  used  to  own  them  are  glad  of  a  chance 
to  work  on  them  as  hired  hands." 

Such  a  sentiment,  expressed  by  one  of  themselves, 
would  have  called  forth  a  shower  of  confirmatory  ejacu 
lations,  but  the  people  stared  at  Perez  in  mere  aston 
ishment,  the  dead  silence  of  surprise,  at  hearing  such  a 
strong  statement  of  their  grievances  from  one  whose 
appearance  and  manner  seemed  to  identify  him  with 
the  anti-popular  or  gentlemen's  side.  So  far  as  this 
feeling  of  bewilderment  took  any  more  definite  form, 
it  evidently  inclined  to  suspicion,  rather  than  confi 
dence.  Was  he  mocking  them?  Was  he  trying  to 
entrap  them?  Even  Israel  looked  sharply  at  him,  and 
his  next  remark,  after  a  silence,  was  on  another  subject. 


Perez  Defines  His  Position     \       77 

"  I  s'pose  ye  know  ez  haow  they've  set  the  niggers 
free." 

"Yes,"  replied  Perez,  "I  heard  of  that  when  I  was 
away,  but  I  didn't  know  the  reason  why  they'd  set 
them  free  till  I  got  home." 

"  What  do  ye  think's  the  reason? " 

"  I  see  they've  made  slaves  of  the  poor  folks,  and 
don't  need  the  niggers  any  more,"  replied  Perez,  as 
quietly  as  if  he  were  making  the  most  casual  remark. 

But  still  the  people  stared  at  him  and  looked  ques- 
tioningly  at  each  other,  so  bereft  of  magnetic  force  is 
language,  though  it  express  our  inmost  convictions, 
when  we  do  not  believe  that  the  heart  of  the  speaker 
is  in  sympathy  with  his  words. 

"I  don't  quite  git  yer  idee.  Haow  do  ye  make  out 
that  air  'baout  poor  folks  bein'  slaves? "  inquired  Ezra 
Phelps  dryly. 

It  was  evident  that  any  man  who  thought  he  was  go 
ing  to  get  at  the  real  feelings  of  these  rustics  without 
first  gaining  their  confidence,  little  understood  the 
shrewd  caution  of  the  race. 

"I  make  it  out  this  way,"  replied  Perez.  "I  find 
pretty  nearly  every  rich  man  has  a  gang  of  debtors 
working  for  him,  trying  to  work  out  their  debts.  If 
they  are  idle,  if  they  dispute  with  him,  if  they  don't  let 
him  do  what  he  pleases  with  them  and  their  families, 
he  sends  them  to  jail  with  a  word,  and  there  they  stay 
till  he  wants  to  let  them  out.  No  man  can  interfere 
between  him  and  them.  He  does  with  them  whatever 
he  pleases.  And  that's  why  I  call  them  slaves." 

Now,  Meshech  Little  was  slightly  intoxicated.  By 
that  mysterious  faculty,  whereby  the  confirmed  drunk 
ard,  although  absolutely  impecunious,  nevertheless 
manages  to  keep  soaked,  while  other  thirsty  men  can 


78  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

get  nothing,  he  had  obtained  rum.  And  Meshech  it 
was  who,  proceeding  in  that  spirit  of  frankness  engen 
dered  by  the  bottle,  now  brought  about  the  solution  of 
a  misunderstanding  that  was  becoming  painful. 

"What  ye  say,  Perez,  z'all  right,  but  wha'n  time  be 
yew  a-sayin'  on  it  fer?  Ye  be  dressed  so  fine,  an'  a 
cap'n  b' sides,  that  we  s' posed  ye'd  take  yer  road  tew  the 
store,  'long  with  the  silk-stockin's,  'stid  o'  consortin* 
with  common  folks  like  we  be." 

There  was  a  general  sensation.  Every  mouth  was 
opened  and  every  neck  craned  forward  to  catch  the 
reply. 

"  Did  you  think  so,  Meshech?  Well,  you  see  you  are 
mistaken.  There's  not  a  man  among  you  has  less 
cause  to  love  the  silk-stockings,  as  you  call  them,  than 
I  have,  and  you,  Meshech,  ought  to  know  it.  Nine 
years  ago,  my  brother  Reub  and  I  marched  with  the 
minute-men.  Parson,  and  Squire  Woodbridge,  and 
Squire  Edwards,  and  all  of  them  came  around  us  and 
said,  *  We'll  take  care  of  your  father  and  mother. 
We'll  never  forget  what  you  are  doing  to-day.'  Yes 
terday  I  came  home  to  find  my  father  and  mother 
waiting  to  be  sold  out  by  the  sheriff,  and  go  to  the  poor- 
house;  and  Reub, — I  found  my  brother  Reub  rotting 
to  death  in  Barrington  jail." 

"By  gosh!  I  forgot  'baout  Reub,  I  declare  I  did," 
exclaimed  Meshech,  contritely. 

"Give  us  yer  hand,"  said  Israel.  "I  forgot  same  ez 
Meshech,  an'  I  misdoubted  ye.  This  be  Ezra  Phelps, 
ez  owns  the  new  mill." 

"Shake  ag'in,"  said  Peleg,  extending  his  hand. 

There  was  exhilaration  as  well  as  cordiality  in  the 
faces  of  the  men,  who  now  crowded  around  Perez,  an 
exhilaration  which  had  its  source  in  the  fact  that  one 


Perez  Defines  His  Position  79 

whose  appearance  and  bearing  identified  him  with  the 
gentlemen  was  on  their  side.  It  filled  them  with  more 
encouragement  than  woiild  have  done  the  accession 
of  a  score  of  their  own  rank  and  sort.  Brawn  and 


muscle  they__cp"l^  the,tnselves  sujpgly^Jhiit  for 
ship,  social,  political,  and  religious,  theyjhad  always 
been  accustomecftb  look  to  tHegentlemen  of  the  com- 
mtitiity";~and  trom  this  lifelong  and  inKerited  habit 
came  the  new  sense  of  confidence  and  moral  sanction 
which  they  felt  in  having  upon  their  side  in  the  present 
crisis  one  in  whom  they  had  instinctively  recognized 
the  traits  of  the  superior  caste. 

"  Hev  ye  hearn  the  news  from  Northampton,  Perez?  " 
asked  Israel. 

"  Yes,  and  if  you  men  are  as  much  in  earnest  as  I 
am,  there'll  be  news  from  Barrington  to-morrow,"  re 
plied  Perez,  glancing  around. 

"  Ef  there  ain't,  there'll  be  a  lot  on  us  disapp'inted, 
fer  we  be  all  a-calc'latin'  ter  go  there  ter  see,"  said 
Israel,  significantly. 

"  We'll  git  yer  brother  aout  o'  jail  fer  ye,  Perez,  an' 
ef  there's  any  fightin'  with  the  milishy,  ye  kin  show  us 
haow,  I  guess." 

Meshech,  as  before  intimated,  was  partially  drunk, 
and  spoke  out  of  the  fullness  of  his  heart.  But  except 
for  this  one  outburst,  a  stranger,  especially  one  who  did 
not  know  the  New  England  disposition,  and  its  prefer 
ence  for  innuendo  to  any  other  mode  of  speech  even  in 
referring  to  the  most  important  and  exciting  topics, 
would  have  failed  entirely  to  get  the  idea  that  these 
farmers  and  laborers  contemplated  an  act  of  armed  re 
bellion  on  the  morrow.  He  would,  indeed,  have  heard 
frequent  allusions  to  the  probability  there  would  be 
great  goings-on  at  Barrington  next  morning,  and  in- 


8o  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

timations,  more  or  less  explicit,  on  the  part  of  nearly 
every  man  present,  that  he  expected  to  be  on  hand  to 
see  what  was  done.  But  there  was  no  intimation  that 
they  themselves  expected  to  be  the  doers.  Many,  in 
deed,  perhaps  most,  had  very  likely  no  distinct  idea  of 
personally  doing  anything,  nor  was  it  at  all  necessary 
that  they  should  have,  in  order  to  ensure  the  expected 
outbreak  when  the  time  should  come.  Given  an  ex 
cited  crowd,  all  expecting  something  to  be  done  which 
they  desire  to  have  done,  and  all  the  necessary  elements 
of  mob  action  are  present. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
The  First  Encounter 

THE  next  morning  by  six  o'clock,  a  large  number  of 
persons  had  gathered  on  the  green,  in  consequence  of 
an  understanding  that  those  intending  to  witness  the 
goings-on  at  Barrington  should  rendezvous  at  the  tav 
ern  and  go  down  together,  whereby  their  own  hearts 
would  be  made  stronger,  and  their  enemies  the  more 
impressed.  A  good  many,  indeed,  had  gone  on  ahead, 
singly,  or  in  parties.  Meshech  Little,  who  lived  on  the 
Barrington  road,  said  that  he  hadn't  had  a  wink  of 
sleep  since  four  o'clock,  for  the  noise  of  passing  teams 
and  pedestrians.  Those  who  owned  horses  and  carts, 
including  such  men  as  Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps, 
had  preferred  that  mode  of  locomotion,  but  there  were, 
nevertheless,  as  many  as  one  hundred  men  and  boys  in 
the  muster  on  the  green.  Perhaps  a  quarter  of  them 
had  muskets,  the  others  carried  stout  cudgels. 

All  sorts  of  rumors  were  flying  about.  One  story 
was  that  the  militia  had  been  ordered  out  with  a  dozen 
rounds  of  cartridges,  to  defend  the  court  and  jail. 
Some  had  even  heard  that  a  cannon  had  been  placed 
in  front  of  the  court  house,  and  trained  on  the  Stock- 
bridge  road.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  asserted  that 
the  court  would  not  try  to  sit  at  all.  As  now  one  and 
now  another  of  these  contradictory  reports  prevailed, 
ebullitions  of  courage  and  symptoms  of  panic  alternated 
among  the  people.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  they  con- 
6 


82  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

templated  the  undertaking  on  which  they  were  em 
barking  with  a  good  deal  of  nervousness.  Abner  was 
going  from  group  to  group,  trying  to  keep  up  their 
spirits. 

"Hello,"  he  exclaimed,  coming  across  Jabez  Flint. 
"  Look  a-here,  boys.  Darned  ef  Jabez  ain't  a-comin* 
'long  with  the  rest  on  us.  Wai,  Jabez,  I  swow,  I 
never  thought  ez  I  sh'd  be  a  fightin*  'long  side  o'  yew. 
Mis'ry  makes  strange  bedfellers,  though." 

"It's  yew  ez  hez  changed  sides,  not  me,"  responded 
the  tory.  "I  wuz  allers  ag'in  the  State,  an'  naow 
you've  come  over  ter  my  side." 

Abner  scratched  his  head. 

"  I  swan,  it  doos  look  so.  Anyhaow,  I  be  glad  ter  see 
ye  to-day.  I  see  ye've  got  yer  gun,  Jabez.  Ye  must 
be  keerful.  Lawyers  is  so  like  foxes  that  ye  might 
hit  one  on  'em  by  mistake." 

There  was  a  little  laughter  at  this,  but  the  atmos 
phere  was  decidedly  too  heavy  for  jokes.  However 
boldly  they  might  discourse  at  the  tavern  of  an  even 
ing,  over  their  mugs  of  flip,  about  taking  up  arms  and 
hanging  the  lawyers,  it  was  not  without  manifold  mis 
givings  that  these  law-abiding  farmers  found  them 
selves  on  the  point  of  being  actually  arrayed  in  armed 
rebellion  against  the  public  authorities.  Moreover,  the 
absence  of  Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps,  who  were 
looked  up  to  as  the  most  substantial  in  estate  and  gen 
eral  respectability  of  those  who  inclined  to  the  popular 
side,  was  unfortunate,  although  it  was  supposed  that 
they  would  be  present  at  Barrington. 

Meshech,  indeed,  in  spite  of  the  earliness  of  the  hour, 
was  full  of  pot-valor,  and  flourished  his  gun  in  a  man 
ner  more  perilous  to  those  about  him  than  to  the  State 
authorities ;  but  his  courage  reeked  so  strongly  of  its 


The  First  Encounter  83 

source,  that  the  display  was  rather  discouraging  than 
otherwise  to  the  sober  men  around.  Paul  Hubbard, 
who  had  come  down  from  the  iron-works  with  thirty 
men  or  more,  presently  drew  Abner  aside  and  said : 

"  See  here.  It  won't  do  to  wait  around  any  longer. 
We  must  start.  They're  losing  all  their  grit  standing 
here  and  thinking  it  over. " 

But  the  confabulation  was  interrupted  by  a  cry  of 
panic  from  Obadiah  Weeks: 

"Golly!  here  come  the  s'lectmen!  " 

"Hell!"  exclaimed  Hubbard,  whirling  on  his  heel 
and  taking  in  the  situation  with  a  glance,  while  Ab 
ner 's  face  was  expressive  of  equal  consternation. 

The  local  authorities  had  been  so  quiet  the  day  be 
fore  that  no  interference  on  their  part  had  been 
thought  of. 

But  here  in  a  body  came  the  five  selectmen,  headed 
by  Jahleel  Woodbridge,  cane  in  hand,  wearing  his  most 
awful  frown,  and  looking  like  the  embodied  majesty  of 
the  law.  The  actions  and  attitudes  of  the  crowd  were 
like  those  of  schoolboys  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of 
the  master  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  of  uproar.  Those 
nearest  the  corners  of  the  tavern  promptly  slunk  be 
hind  it.  Obadiah  slipped  around  to  the  farther  side  of 
the  buttonwood  tree  before  the  tavern.  There  was  a 
general  movement  in  the  body  of  the  crowd,  caused  by 
the  effort  of  each  individual  to  slip  quietly  behind  some 
body  else,  while  from  the  edges,  /men  began  to  sneak 
homewards  across  the  green,  at  a  rate  which,  had  the 
warning  been  a  little  longer,  would  have  left  no  assem 
blage  at  all  by  the  time  the  selectmen  arrived  on  the 
spot.  Those  who  could  not  find  shelter  behind  their 
fellows  and  could  not  escape  save  by  a  dead  run,  pulled 
their  hats  over  their  eyes  and  looked  on  the  ground, 


84  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

slyly  dropping  their  cudgels,  meanwhile,  in  the  grass. 
There  was  not  a  gun  to  be  seen. 

With  his  head  thrown  back  in  the  stiffest  possible 
manner,  his  lips  pursed  out,  and  throwing  glances  like 
lashes  right  and  left,  Squire  Woodbrid6^,  followed  by 
the  other  selectmen,  passed  through  the  midst  of  the 
gathering,  until  he  reached  the  stone  step  before  the 
tavern  door.  He  stepped  up  on  this,  and  ere  he 
opened  his  lips,  swept  the  shamefaced  assemblage  be 
fore  him  with  a  withering  glance.  What  with  those 
who  had  pulled  their  hats  over  their  eyes,  and  those 
who  had  turned  their  backs  to  him  in  anxiety  to  avoid 
identification,  there  was  not  an  eye  that  met  his.  Ab- 
ner  himself,  brave  as  a  lion  with  his  own  class,  was  no 
braver  than  any  one  of  them  when  it  came  to  encoun 
tering  one  of  the  superior  caste,  to  whom  he  and  his 
ancestors  before  him  had  looked  up  as  their  rulers  and 
leaders  by  prescription.  And  so  it  must  be  written  of 
even  Abner  that  he  had  somehow  managed  to  get  the 
trunk  of  the  buttonwood  tree,  which  sheltered  Obadiah, 
between  a  part  at  least  of  his  own  enormous  bulk  and 
Squire  Woodbridge's  eye.  Paul  Hubbard's  bitter  ha 
tred  of  gentlemen  so  far  stood  him  in  stead  of  cour 
age  that  it  would  not  let  him  hide  himself.  He  stood 
in  plain  view,  but  with  his  face  half  averted  from 
Woodbridge,  while  his  lip  curled  in  bitter  scorn  of  his 
own  craven^  spirit  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  I 
"arrrfirFiting,  not  of  the  American  farmer  and  laborer  of 
this  democratic  age,  but  of  men  who  were  separated 
but  by  a  generation  or  two  from  the  peasant  serfs  of 
England,  and  who  under  the  stern  and  repressive  rule 
of  the  untitled  aristocracy  of  the  colonies  had  enjoyed 
little  opportunity  for  outgrowing  inherited  instincts  of 
servility. 


The  First  Encounter  85 

And  now  it  was  that  Perez  Hamlin,  who  had  been  all 
this  while  within  the  tavern,  his  attention  attracted  by 
the  sudden  silence  which  had  fallen  on  the  people  with 
out,  stepped  to  the  door,  appearing  on  the  threshold 
just  above  Squire  Woodbridge's  head  and  a  little  to 
one  side  of  him.  At  a  glance  he  saw  the  way  things 
were  going.  Already  half  demoralized  by  the  mere 
presence  and  glances  of  the  magnates,  a  dozen  threat 
ening  words  from  the  opening  lips  of  the  Squire  would 
suffice  to  send  these  incipient  rebels,  like  whipped  curs, 
to  their  homes.  He  thought  of  Reub,  and  for  a  moment 
his  heart  was  filled  with  grief  and  terror.  Then  he 
had  an  inspiration. 

In  the  crowd  was  one  known  as  Little  Pete,  a  German 
drummer  of  Reidesel's  Hessian  corps,  captured  with 
Burgoyne's  army.  Brought  to  Stockbridge  and  quar 
tered  there  as  a  prisoner,  he  had  continued  to  live  in 
the  town  since  the  war.  Abner  had  somewhere  pro 
cured  an  old  drum  for  Pete,  and  with  this  hung  about 
his  neck,  the  sticks  in  his  hands,  he  now  stood  not  ten 
feet  away  from  the  tavern  door.  He  spoke  but  little 
English,  and  being  a  foreigner,  had  none  of  that  awe 
for  the  selectmen,  either  in  their  personal  or  official 
characters,  which  unnerved  the  village  folk.  Left  iso 
lated  by  the  falling  back  of  the  people  around  him, 
Pete  was  now  staring  at  these  dignitaries  in  stolid  in 
difference.  They  did  not  wear  uniforms,  and  Pete 
had  never  learned  to  respect  or  fear  anything  not  in 
uniform. 

Having  first  brought  the  people  before  him  to  the 
fitting  preliminary  stage  of  demoralization  by  the 
power  of  his  eye,  Squire  Woodbridge  said  in  stern, 
authoritative  tones,  the  more  effective  for  being  low 
pitched: 


86  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  You  may  well " 

That  was  as  far  as  he  got,  however.  With  the  first 
sound  of  his  voice,  Perez  stepped  down  beside  him. 
Drawing  his  sword,  which  he  had  put  on  that  morning, 
he  waved  it  with  a  commanding  gesture,  and  looking 
at  Little  Pete,  said  with  a  quick,  imperious  accent : 

"Drum!" 

If  a  man  in  an  officer's  uniform,  with  a  shining  piece 
of  steel  in  his  hand,  had  ordered  Pete  to  jump  into  the 
mouth  of  a  cannon,  he  would  no  more  have  hesitated 
than  the  cannon  itself  would  have  refused  to  go  off 
when  the  linstock  was  pulled.  Without  the  change  of  a 
muscle  in  his  heavy  face,  he  raised  the  drum-sticks  and 
brought  them  down  on  the  sheepskin. 

And  instantly  the  roll  of  the  drum  deafened  the  ears 
of  the  people,  utterly  drowning  the  imperious  tones  of 
the  selectman,  and  growing  louder  and  swifter  from 
moment  to  moment,  as  the  long  unused  wrists  of  the 
drummer  recalled  their  former  cunning. 

Squire  Woodbridge  spoke  a  few  words  more,  without 
being  able  to  hear  himself.  Then,  his  smooth,  fleshy 
face  purple  with  rage,  he  wheeled  and  glared  at  Ham- 
lin.  It  did  not  need  the  drum  to  silence  him  now. 
He  was  so  overcome  with  amazement  and  passion  that 
he  could  not  have  articulated  a  word.  But  if  he 
thought  to  face  down  the  man  by  his  side,  he  was  mis 
taken.  At  least  a  head  taller  than  the  Squire,  Perez 
turned  and  looked  down  into  the  angry  eyes  of  the 
other  with  cool,  careless  defiance. 

And  how  about  the  people  who  looked  on?  The  con 
fident,  decisive  tone  of  Hamlin's  order  to  the  drummer, 
the  bold  gesture  that  enforced  it,  the  fearless  contempt 
for  the  village  great  man  which  it  implied,  the  un 
flinching  look  with  which  he  met  that  wrathful  gaze, 


The  First  Encounter  87 

and,  accompanying  all  these,  the  electrifying-  roll  of  the 
drum  with  its  martial  suggestions,  had  acted  like  magic 
on  the  crowd.  ^Th^s^vvHoTiad  slunk  away  came  run- 
umgr"T)ack.  Muskets  rQ"se~~to~~shQ  alders,  sticks  were 
agf  i~15randished,  and  the  eyes  of  the  peopTe7~a " "mo- 
mem  ago  averted  and  downcast,  rose  defiantly.  On 
every'Tace  there  was~"a"  broad  grin  of  delight.  Even 
Paul  Hubbard's  cynical  lips  were  wreathed  with  a  smile 
of  the  keenest  satisfaction,  and  he  threw  upon  Perez 
one  of  the  few  glances  of  genuine  admiration  which 
men  of  his  sardonic  type  ever  have  to  spare  for  any 
body. 

For  a  few  moments  Squire  Woodbridge  hesitated,  un 
certain  what  to  do.  To  remain  standing  there  was  im 
possible  with  this  crowd  of  his  former  vassals  on  the 
broad  grin  at  his  discomfiture.  To  retire  was  to  confess 
defeat.  The  question  was  settled,  however,  when  one  of 
his  official  associates,  unable  longer  to  endure  the  din  of 
the  drum,  desperately  clapped  both  hands  over  his  ears. 
At  this  the  crowd  began  to  guffaw  uproariously,  and 
seeing  that  it  was  high  time  to  see  about  saving  what 
little  dignity  he  still  retained,  Squire  Woodbridge  led 
the  way  into  the  tavern,  whither  he  was  incontinently 
followed  by  his  compeers. 

Instantly,  at  a  gesture  from  Perez,  the  drum  ceased, 
and  his  voice  sounded  strangely  clear  in  the  sudden 
and  throbbing  silence,  as  he  directed  Little  Pete  to 
head  the  column  and  gave  the  order  to  march.  With 
a  cheer  and  a  tread  that  shook  the  ground,  the  men 
set  out.  Perez  remained  standing  before  the  tavern 
till  the  last  man  had  passed,  by  way  of  guarding 
against  any  new  move  by  the  selectmen,  and  then 
mounting  his  horse,  rode  along  beside  the  column. 

They  were  about  half  a  mile  out  of  the  village,  when 


88  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Abner,  accompanied  by  Paul  Hubbard,  approached 
Perez,  and  remarked: 

"  The  fellers  all  on  'em  says  ez  haow  ye'll  hev  ter  be 
cap'n  o'  this  ere  comp'ny.  There's  no  use  o'  shilly- 
shallyin'  the  business,  we've  got  ter  hev  somebody  ez 
kin  speak  up  ter  the  silk-stockin's.  Hain't  that  so, 
Paul?" 

Hubbard  nodded,  but  did  not  speak.  It  was  gall  and 
wormwood  to  his  jealous  and  ambitious  spirit  to  con 
cede  the  leadership  to  another,  but  his  good  sense 
forced  him  to  recognize  the  necessity  of  doing  so  in  the 
present  case. 

"Abner,"  replied  Perez,  "you  know  I  only  want  to 
get  Reub  out.  That's  why  I  interfered  when  the  plan 
looked  like  falling  through.  I  don't  want  to  be  cap 
tain,  man, — I'd  no  notion  of  that." 

"Nuther  had  I,"  said  Abner,  "till  ye  tackled  the 
Squire,  an'  then  I  see  quick  ez  a  flash  that  ye'd  got  ter 
be,  an*  so'd  all  the  other  fellers.  We  sh'd  a  kerflum- 
muxed  sure's  taxes,  ef  ye  hedn't  done  jest  what  ye  did. 
An'  naow,  ye've  got  ter  be  cap'n,  whether  or  no." 

"Well,"  said  Perez,  "if  I  can  do  anything  for  you, 
I  will.  We're  all  in  the  same  boat,  I  suppose.  But  if 
I'm  captain,  you  two  must  be  lieutenants." 

"Yas,  we're  a-goin'  ter  be,"  replied  Abner.  "Ye 
kin  depend  on  us  in  a  scrimmage,  but  yew  must  sass 
the  silk-stockin's." 

Meanwhile  the  men,  as  they  marched  along  the  road 
in  some  semblance  of  military  order,  were  eagerly  dis 
cussing  the  recent  passage  between  the  dreaded  Squire 
and  their  new  champion.  Their  feeling  about  Perez 
seemed  to  be  a  certain  odd  mingling  of  respect,  with 
an  exultant  sense  of  proprietorship  in  him  as  a  repre 
sentative  of  their  own  class,  a  farmer's  son  who  had 


The  First  Encounter  89 

made  himself  as  fine  a  gentleman  as  any  of  the  silk- 
stockings,  and  could  face  down  the  Squire  himself. 

"  Did  ye  see  haow  Squire  looked  at  Perez  when  Pete 
begun  ter  drum?"  observed  Peleg.  "I  reckoned  he 
wuz  a-goin'  ter  lay  hands  onto  him." 

"  Ef  he  hed,  by  jiminy,  I  b'lieve  Cap'n  would  ha'  hit 
him  a  crack  ez  would  ha'  knocked  him  inter  the  middle 
o'  next  week,"  said  Meshech. 

"Oh,  golly!  I  only  wisht  he  hed,"  cried  Obadiah, 
quite  carried  away  at  the  wild  thought  of  the  mighty 
Squire  rolling  on  the  grass  with  a  bloody  nose. 

"  I  allers  hearn  ez  them  Hamlin  boys  hed  good  blood 
intew  'em,"  observed  a  farmer.  "Mrs.  Hamlin's  a 
Hawley,  one  o'  them  air  River  Gods,  ez  they  calls  'em 
daown  Hampshire  way.  Her  folks  wuz  riled  when  she 
took  up  with  Elnathan,  I  hearn." 


i 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Great  Goings-on  at  Barrington 

As  the  company  from  Stockbridge  surmounted  the 
crest  of  a  hill,  about  half  way  to  Barrington,  they  saw 
a  girl  in  a  blue  tunic,  a  brown  rush  hat,  and  a  short 
gown,  of  the  usual  butternut  dye,  trudging  on  in  the 
same  direction,  some  distance  ahead.  As  she  looked 
back,  in  evident  amazement  at  the  column  of  men 
marching  behind  her,  Perez  thought  that  he  recognized 
the  face,  and  on  coming  up  with  her  she  proved  to  be, 
in  fact,  no  other  than  Prudence  Fennell,  the  little  lass 
who  had  called  at  the  house  Sunday  evening  to  inquire 
about  her  father  down  at  the  jail,  and  whose  piteous 
grief  at  the  report  Perez  was  obliged  to  give  had  de 
termined  him  to  attempt  the  rescue  of  George,  as 
well  as  Reub,  at  whatever  additional  risk. 

Far  enough  were  they  then  from  dreaming  that  two 
days  later  would  find  them  leading  a  battalion  of  armed 
men  in  broad  daylight  along  the  high  road,  to  free  the 
captives  by  open  force.  As  readily  would  they  then 
have  counted  on  an  earthquake  to  open  the  prison 
doors,  as  on  this  sudden  uprising  of  the  people  in  their 
strength. 

As  the  men  came  up,  Prudence  stopped  to  let  them 
pass,  her  fresh,  pretty  face  expressive  of  considerable 
dismay.  As  she  shrunk  closely  up  to  the  rail  fence 
that  lined  the  highway,  she  looked  up  at  Perez  with 
timid  recognition,  as  if  to  claim  his  protection. 


Great  Goings-on  at  Barrington         91 

"  Where  are  you  going? "  he  asked  kindly,  stopping 
his  horse. 

"  I'm  going  to  see  father,"  she  said,  with  a  tremulous 
lip. 

"  Poor  little  lassie,  were  you  going  to  walk  all  the 
way?" 

"It  is  nothing,"  she  said.  "I  could  not  wait,  you 
know.  He  might  die,"  and  her  bosom  heaved  with  a 
sob  that  would  fain  break  forth. 

Perez  threw  himself  from  his  horse. 

"  We  are  all  going  to  the  jail,"  he  said.  "  You  shall 
come  with  us,  and  ride  upon  my  horse.  Men,  she  shall 
lead  us." 

The  men,  whose  discipline  was  not  as  yet  very  rigid, 
had  halted  and  crowded  around  to  listen  to  the  dialogue, 
and  they  received  this  proposition  with  a  cheer.  Pru 
dence  would  far  rather  have  had  them  go  on  and  leave 
her  to  make  her  own  way,  but  she  was  quite  too  much 
scared  to  resist  as  Perez  lifted  her  upon  his  saddle. 
He  shortened  one  of  the  stirrups,  to  support  her  foot, 
and  then  the  column  took  up  its  march  under  the  new 
captain,  Perez  walking  by  her  side  and  leading  the 
horse. 

Had  he  arranged  this  stroke  beforehand,  he  could 
not  have  hit  on  a  more  effective  device  for  toning  up 
the  morale  of  the  men.  Those  in  whose  minds  the  old 
misgivings  as  to  their  course  had  succeeded  the  sudden 
inspiration  of  Little  Pete's  drum,  now  felt  that  the  child 
riding  ahead  lent  a  new  and  sacred  sanction  to  their  I 
cause.  TFey  all  knew  her  story,  and  to  their  eye¥  she  ' 
seemeoT  at  this  moment  an  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of 
suffering  and  outraged  humanity  which  had  nerved 
them  for  this  day's  work.  A  more  fitting  emblem,  a 
more  inspiring  standard,  could  not  have  been  borne 


92  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

before  them.  But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  even 
this  prevented,  now  and  then,  a  conscience-stricken  in 
dividual  from  stopping  to  drink  at  some  brook  crossing 
the  road,  until  the  column  had  passed  the  next  bend  in 
the  road,  and  then  slinking  home  across-lots,  taking  an 
early  opportunity  after  arriving  to  pass  the  store,  in  or 
der  to  be  seen  and  noted  as  not  being  among  the  rioters. 
But  whatever  was  lost  in  this  way,  if  the  defection  of 
such  material  can  be  called  a  loss,  was  more  than  made 
up  by  the  recruits  which  swelled  the  ranks  from  the 
farmhouses  along  the  road.  And  so,  by  the  time  they 
entered  Muddy  Brook,  a  settlement  just  outside  of 
Great  Barrington,  through  which  the  road  from  Stock- 
bridge  then  passed,  they  numbered  fully  one  hundred 
and  fifty. 

Muddy  Brook  was  inhabited  chiefly  by  a  poor  and 
rather  low  class  of  people,  who,  either  from  actual 
misery  or  mere  riotous  inclination,  might  naturally  be 
expected  to  join  in  any  movement  against  constituted 
authority.  But  instead  of  gaining  any  accession  of 
forces  here,  the  party  found  the  place  almost  deserted. 
Even  the  small  boys  and  the  dogs  were  gone,  and 
apparently  a  large  part  of  the  able-bodied  women  as 
well. 

"Where  be  all  the  folks?"  called  out  Abner  to  a 
woman  who  stood  with  a  baby  in  arms  at  an  open  door. 

"  Over  ter  Barrington  seem'  the  fun.  There  be  great 
dewin's,"  she  replied. 

This  news  imparted  valor  to  the  most  faint-hearted, 
for  it  was  now  apparent  that  this  was  not  a  movement 
in  which  Stockbridge  alone  was  engaged,  not  a  mere 
local  revolt,  but  a  general,  popular  uprising,  whose  ex 
tent  would  be  its  justification.  And  yet,  prepared  as 
they  thus  were  to  find  a  goodly  number  of  sympathiz- 


Great  Goings-on  at  Barrington         93 

ers  already  on  the  ground,  it  was  with  mingled  exulta 
tion  and  astonishment  that,  on  reaching  the  top  of  the 
high  hill  which  separated  Muddy  Brook  from  Great 
Barrington,  and  gaining  a  view  of  the  latter  place, 
they  beheld  the  streets  packed,  and  the  green  in  front 
of  the  court  house  fairly  black  with  people. 

There  was  a  general  outburst  of  surprise  and  satis 
faction. 

"  By  thunder!  it  looks  like  gineral  trainin',  or  'n  or 
dination." 

"  Looks  kind  o'  ez  if  a  good  many  fellers  b' sides  us 
hed  business  with  the  jestices  this  mornin'." 

"  I'd  no  idee  courts  wuz  so  pop'lar." 

"There  ain't  stocks  'nough  in  Berkshire  fer  all  the 
fellers  as  is  out  to-day,  that's  one  sure  thing." 

"  No,  nor  Saddleback  Mounting  ain't  big  'nough  pil 
lory  to  hold  'em,  nuther,"  were  some  of  the  ejaculations 
which  at  once  expressed  the  delight  and  astonishment 
of  the  men,  and  at  the  same  time  betrayed  the  nature 
of  their  previous  misgivings,  as  to  the  possible  conse 
quences  of  this  day's  doings.  Estimates  of  the  num 
ber  of  the  crowd  in  Barrington,  which  were  freely 
offered,  ranged  all  the  way  from  two  thousand  to  ten 
thousand,  but  Perez,  practised  in  such  calculations, 
placed  the  number  at  about  eight  or  nine  hundred 
men,  and  half  as  many  women  and  boys.  What  gave 
him  the  liveliest  satisfaction  was  the  absence  of  any  mili 
tary  force, — not  indeed  that  he  would  have  hesitated  to 
fight,  if  he  could  not  have  otherwise  forced  access  to 
the  jail ;  but  he  had  contemplated  the  possibility  of  such 
a  bloody  collision  between  the  people  and  militia  with 
much  concern. 

"There'll  be  no  fighting  to-day,  boys,"  he  said,  turn 
ing  to  the  men;  "you'd  better  let  off  your  muskets,  so 


94  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

there  may  be  no  accidents.  Fire  in  the  air,"  he  com 
manded;  and  thus,  with  a  ringing  salvo  that  echoed 
and  re-echoed  among  the  hills  and  was  answered  with 
acclamations  from  the  multitude  in  the  village,  the 
Stockbridge  battalion,  with  the  girl  riding  at  its  head, 
entered  Great  Barrington,  and  breaking  ranks,  mingled 
with  the  crowd. 

"Golly!  we  be  jest  in  time  to  see  the  fun,"  cried 
Obadiah  delightedly,  as  the  court  house  bell  rang  out, 
thereby  announcing  that  the  justices  had  left  their 
lodgings  to  proceed  to  the  court  house  and  open  court. 

"  I  declare  for  't,"  exclaimed  Jabez,  "  I  wonder  ef  they 
be  goin'  ter  try  ter  hold  court  'n  spite  o'  all  that  crowd. 
There  they  be,  sure's  taxes." 

And,  indeed,  as  he  spoke,  the  door  of  the  residence 
of  Justice  Dwight  opened,  and  High  Sheriff  Israel 
Dickinson,  followed  by  Justice  Dwight  and  the  three 
other  justices  of  the  quorum,  issued  therefrom,  and 
took  up  their  march  directly  toward  the  court  house, 
seemingly  oblivious  of  the  surging  mass  of  a  thousand 
men  which  barred  their  way. 

The  sheriff  advanced  with  a  goose-step,  carrying  his 
wand  of  office,  and  the  justices  strode  in  Indian  file  be 
hind  him.  They  were  dressed  in  fine  black  clothes,  with 
black  silk  hose,  silver  buckles  on  their  shoes,  fine  white 
ruffled  shirts,  and  ponderous  cocked  hats  upon  their 
heavily  powdered  wigs.  Their  chests  were  well  thrown 
out,  their  chins  were  held  in  air,  their  lips  were  judi 
cially  pursed,  and  their  eyes  were  contemplatively  fixed 
on  vacancy,  as  if  they  had  never  for  a  moment  admitted 
the  possibility  that  any  impediment  might  be  offered  to 
their  progress.  It  must  be  admitted  that  their  bearing 
worthily  represented  the  prestige  of  ancient  authority 
and  the  moral  majesty  of  the  law.  Nor  did  the  mob 


Great  Goings-on  at  Barrington          95 

fail  to  render  the  tribute  of  an  involuntary  admiration 
to  this  imposing  and  apparently  invincible  advance. 
It  had  evidently  been  taken  for  granted  that  the  mere 
assembling  and  the  riotous  attitude  of  so  great  a  multi 
tude,  bristling  with  muskets  and  bludgeons,  would  suf 
fice  to  prevent  the  justices  from  making  any  attempt  to 
hold  court.  It  was  with  a  certain  awe,  and  a  silence  in 
terrupted  only  by  murmurs  of  astonishment,  that  the 
people  now  awaited  their  approach.  Perhaps  had  the 
throng  been  less  dense,  it  might  have  justified  the 
serene  and  haughty  confidence  of  the  justices  by  open 
ing  a  path  for  them.  But  however  disposed  the  first 
ranks  might  have  been  to  give  way,  they  could  not,  by 
reason  of  the  pressure  from  behind  and  on  every  side. 

Still  the  sheriff  continued  to  advance,  with  as  much 
apparent  confidence  of  opening  a  way  as  if  his  wand 
were  the  veritable  rod  wherewith  Moses  parted  the 
Red  Sea,  until  he  almost  trod  on  the  toes  of  the  shrink 
ing  first  rank.  But  there  he  was  fain  to  pause.  Moral 
force  cannot  penetrate  a  purely  physical  obstacle. 

And  when  the  sheriff  stopped,  the  justices  marching 
behind  him  also  stopped.  Not  indeed  that  their  Honors 
so  far  forgot  their  dignity  as  to  appear  to  take  direct 
cognizance  of  the  vulgar  and  irregular  impediment  be 
fore  them.  It  was  the  sheriff's  business  to  clear  the 
way  for  them.  And  although  Justice  Dwight's  face 
was  purple  with  indignation,  he,  as  well  as  his  associ 
ates,  continued  to  look  away  into  vacancy,  suffering  not 
their  eyes  to  catch  any  of  the  glances  of  the  people  be 
fore  them. 

"  Make  way!  make  way  for  the  honorable  justices  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts!"  cried  the  sheriff,  in  loud,  imperative 
tones. 


96  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

A  dead  silence  of  several  moments  followed,  in  which 
the  rattling  of  a  farmer's  cart  far  down  the  street,  as 
it  brought  in  a  belated  load  of  insurgents  from  Shef 
field,  was  distinctly  audible.  Then  somebody  in  the 
back  part  of  the  crowd,  impressed  with  a  certain  ludi- 
crousness  in  the  situation,  tittered.  Somebody  else 
tittered,  then  a  number,  and  presently  a  hoarse  haw- 
haw  of  derision,  growing  momentarily  louder,  and  soon 
after  mingled  with  yells,  hoots,  and  catcalls,  burst 
forth  from  a  thousand  throats.  The  prestige  of  the 
Honorable  Justices  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  was 
gone. 

A  moment  still  they  hesitated.  Then  the  sheriff 
turned  and  said  something  to  them  in  a  low  voice,  and 
they  forthwith  faced  about  and  deliberately  marched 
back  toward  their  lodgings.  In  this  retrograde  move 
ment  the  sheriff  acted  as  rear  guard,  and  he  had  not 
gone  above  a  dozen  steps  before  a  rotten  egg  burst  on 
one  shoulder  of  his  fine  new  coat,  and  as  he  wheeled 
around  an  apple  took  him  in  the  stomach,  and  at  the 
same  moment  the  cocked  hat  of  Justice  Goodrich  of 
Pittsfield  was  knocked  off  with  a  stone.  His  Honor 
did  not  apparently  think  it  expedient  to  stop  just  then 
to  pick  it  up,  and  Obadiah  Weeks,  leaping  forward, 
made  it  a  prey,  and  instantly  elevated  it  on  a  pole, 
amid  roars  of  derisive  laughter.  The  retreat  of  the 
justices  had  indeed  so  emboldened  the  more  ruffianly 
and  irresponsible  element  of  the  crowd,  many  of  whom 
were  drunk,  that  it  was  just  as  well  for  the  bodily  safety 
of  their  Honors  that  the  distance  to  their  lodgings  was 
no  greater.  As  it  was,  stones  were  flying  fast,  and  the 
mob  was  close  on  the  heels  of  the  sheriff  when  the 
house  was  gained,  and  as  he  attempted  to  shut  the  door 
after  him,  there  was  a  rush  of  men,  bent  on  entering 


Great  Goings-on  at  Barrington         97 

with  him.  He  knocked  down  the  first,  but  would  have 
been  instantly  overpowered  and  trampled  on,  had  not 
Perez  Hamlin,  followed  by  Abner,  Peleg,  Abe  Konka- 
pot  and  half  a  dozen  other  Stockbridge  men,  shouldered 
their  way  through  the  crowd,  and  come  to  his  relief. 
Where,  then,  had  Perez  been,  meantime? 
7 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Judge  Dwight's  Signature 

As  soon  as  the  Stockbridge  battalion  had  arrived  on 
the  green  at  Great  Harrington  and  broken  ranks, 
Perez  had  directed  Abner  to  pass  the  word  to  all  who 
had  friends  in  the  jail,  and  presently  a  party  of  forty 
or  fifty  men  was  following  him,  as  he  led  the  way 
toward  that  building,  accompanied  by  Prudence,  who 
had  not  dismounted.  The  rest  of  them  could  attend 
to  the  stopping  of  the  court.  His  concern  was  with 
the  rescue  of  his  brother.  But  he  had  not  traversed 
over  half  the  distance  when  the  cry  arose : 

"They're  stoning  the  judges!  " 

Thus  recalled  to  his  responsibilities  as  leader  of  at 
least  a  part  of  the  mob,  he  had  turned,  and  followed  by 
a  dozen  men,  had  hurried  back  to  the  rescue,  arriving 
in  the  nick  of  time.  Standing  in  the  open  door  of  the 
house  to  which  the  justices  had  retired,  the  rescued 
sheriff  just  behind  him  in  the  hall,  he  called  out : 

"Stand  back!  Stand  back!  What  more  do  you 
want,  men?  The  court  is  stopped." 

But  the  people  murmured.  The  Great  Barrington 
men  did  not  know  Perez,  and  were  not  ready  to  accept 
his  dictation. 

"We've  stopped  court  to-day,  sartin,"  said  one,  "but 
what's  to  hender  their  holdin'  of  it  to-morrer,  or  ez 
soon's  we  be  gone,  an'  hevin'  every  one  on  us  in  jail? " 


Judge  Dwight's  Signature  99 

"What  do  you  want,  then?"  asked  Perez. 

"We  want  some  sartinty  'baout  it." 

"They've  got  ter  'gree  not  ter  hold  no  more  courts 
till  the  laws  be  changed,"  were  replies  that  seemed  to 
voice  the  sentiments  of  the  crowd. 

"Leave  it  to  me,  and  I'll  get  you  what  you  want," 
said  Perez,  and  he  went  down  the  corridor  to  the 
kitchen  at  the  back  of  the  house,  where  the  sheriff  had 
told  him  he  would  find  the  justices.  Although  the 
room  had  been  chosen  apparently  because  it  was  the 
farthest  removed  from  the  public,  the  mob  had  already 
found  out  their  retreat,  and  a  nose  was  flattened  against 
each  pane  of  the  windows.  Tall  men  peered  in  over 
short  men's  shoulders,  and  cudgels  were  displayed  in  a 
way  not  at  all  reassuring  to  the  inmates. 

Their  Honors  by  no  means  wore  the  unruffled  and  re 
motely  superior  aspect  of  a  few  minutes  before.  It  must 
be  frankly  confessed,  as  regards  the  Honorable  Justices 
Goodrich  of  Pittsfield,  Barker  of  Cheshire,  and  Whiting 
of  Great  Barrington,  that  they  looked  decidedly  scared, 
as,  in  fact,  they  had  some  reason  to  be.  It  might  have 
been  supposed,  indeed,  that  the  valor  of  the  entire 
quorum  had  gone  into  its  fourth  member,  Justice  Eli 
jah  Dwight,  who,  at  the  moment  Perez  entered  the 
room,  was  being  withheld,  by  the  combined  strength  of 
his  agonized  wife  and  daughter,  from  sallying  forth  with 
a  rusty  queen's  arm  to  defend  his  mansion.  His  wig 
was  disarranged  with  the  struggle,  and  the  powder 
shaken  from  it  streaked  a  countenance,  scholarly 
enough  in  repose  no  doubt,  but  just  now  purple  with 
the  threefold  wrath  of  one  outraged  in  the  combined 
characters  of  householder,  host,  and  magistrate. 

"Your  Honors,"  said  Perez,  "the  people  will  not  be 
satisfied  without  your  written  promise  to  hold  no  more 


ioo  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

courts  till  their  grievances  are  redressed.  I  will  do 
what  I  can  to  protect  you,  but  my  power  is  slight." 

"  Who  is  this  fellow  who  speaks  for  the  rabble? "  de 
manded  Dwight. 

"  My  name  is  Hamlin." 

"  You  are  a  disgrace  to  the  uniform  you  wear.  Do 
you  know  you  have  incurred  the  penalties  of  high  trea 
son?  "  exclaimed  the  justice. 

"  This  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  incurred  those  pen 
alties  in  behalf  of  my  oppressed  countrymen,  as  that 
same  uniform  shows,"  retorted  the  other.  "But  it  is 
not  now  a  question  of  the  penalties  I  have  incurred, 
but  of  how  you  are  to  escape  the  wrath  of  the  people," 
he  continued  sharply. 

"  I  shall  live  to  see  you  hanged,  drawn  and  quartered 
for  treason,  you  rascal!  "  roared  Dwight. 

"  Nay,  sir.  Do  but  think  this  man  holds  your  life  in 
his  hands.  Entreat  him  civilly,"  expostulated  Madam 
Dwight. 

"He  means  not  so,  sir,"  she  added,  turning  to 
Perez. 

"  The  fellers  want  ter  know  why  in  time  that  air  agree 
ment  ain't  signed.  We  can't  keep  'em  back  much 
longer,"  Abner  cried,  rushing  to  the  door  of  the 
kitchen  a  moment,  and  hurrying  back  to  his  post. 

"  Where  are  writing  materials?  "  asked  Justice  Good 
rich,  nervously,  as  a  stone  broke  through  one  of  the 
window-panes  and  fell  on  the  table. 

"  I  will  bring  them,"  said  Justice  Dwight's  daughter. 

"I  pray  you,  make  haste,"  urged  Justice  Barker. 
"  The  mob  is  even  now  forcing  an  entrance." 

"I  forbid  you  to  bring  them.  Remain  here,"  thun 
dered  Dwight. 

The  girl  paused,  irresolute,  pale,  and  terrified. 


Judge  Dwight!s  Signature  101 

"  Go,  Eliza,"  said  her  mother.  "  Disobey  your  father 
and  save  his  life." 

She  went,  and  in  a  moment  returned  with  the  articles. 
Perez  wrote  two  lines,  and  read  them : 

" '  We  promise  not  to  act  under  our  commissions  un 
til  the  grievances  of  which  the  people  complain  are  re 
dressed.  '  Now  sign  that,  and  quickly,  or  it  will  be  too 
late." 

"  Do  you  order  us  to  sign? "  asked  Barker,  apparently 
willing  to  find  in  this  appearance  of  duress  an  excuse 
for  yielding. 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Perez.  "  If  you  think  you  can 
make  better  terms  with  the  people  for  yourselves,  you 
are  welcome  to  try.  I  should  judge,  from  the  racket, 
that  they're  on  the  point  of  coming  in." 

There  was  a  hoarse  howl  from  without,  and  Justices 
Goodrich,  Barker,  and  Whiting  simultaneously  reached 
for  the  pen.  Their  names  were  affixed  in  a  trice. 

"Will  Your  Honor  sign?"  said  Perez  to  Judge 
Dwight,  who  stood  before  the  fireplace,  silently  re 
garding  the  proceedings.  His  first  ebullition  of  rage 
had  passed,  and  he  appeared  entirely  calm. 

"My  associates  may  do  as  they  please,"  he  replied 
with  dignity,  "but  it  shall  never  be  said  that  Elijah 
Dwight  surrendered  to  a  mob  the  commission  which 
he  received  from  his  Excellency,  the  Governor,  and 
their  Honors,  the  Councilors  of  the  Commonwealth." 

"  I  admire  your  courage,  sir,  but  I  cannot  answer  for 
the  consequences  of  your  refusal,"  said  Perez. 

"For  my  sake,  sign,  sir,"  urged  Madam  Dwight. 

"Oh,  sign,  father.  They  will  kill  you,"  cried 
Eliza. 

"  Methinks,  it  is  but  proper  prudence  to  seem  to 
yield  for  the  time  being,"  said  Goodrich. 


IO2  The- Duke  -of  Stockbridge 

"  'T  is  no  more  than  the  justices  at  Northampton  have 
done,"  added  Barker. 

"  I  need  not  remind  Your  Honor  that  a  pledge  given 
under  duress  is  not  binding,"  said  Whiting. 

But  Dwight  waved  them  away,  merely  saying,  "  I 
know  my  duty." 

Suddenly  Eliza  Dwight  stepped  to  the  table  and  wrote 
something  at  the  bottom  of  the  agreement,  and  giving 
the  paper  to  Perez  said  something  to  him  in  a  low 
voice.  But  her  father's  keen  eye  had  noted  the  act, 
and  he  said  angrily : 

"  Child,  have  you  dared  to  write  my  name? " 

"  Nay,  father,  I  have  not,"  replied  the  girl. 

Even  as  she  spoke  there  were  confused  cries,  heavy 
falls,  and  a  rush  in  the  hall,  and  instantly  the  room 
was  filled  with  men,  their  faces  flushed  with  excitement 
and  drink.  The  guard  had  been  overpowered. 

"Where's  that  paper?" 

"Hain't  they  signed?" 

"We'll  make  ye  sign,  dum  quick." 

"We're  a-goin'  ter  tie  ye  up  an'  give  it  to  ye  on  the 
bare  back." 

"We'll  give  ye  a  dose  o'  yer  own  med'cin'." 

"  I  don't  want  ter  hurt  ye,  sis,  but  ye  must  git  aout  o' 
the  way,"  said  a  burly  fellow  to  Eliza,  who,  with  her 
mother,  had  thrown  herself  between  the  mob  and  Jus 
tice  Dwight,  his  undaunted  aspect  appearing  to  excite 
the  special  animosity  of  the  rabble.  The  other  three 
justices  were  huddled  in  the  most  remote  corner  of  the 
room. 

"  It's  all  right,  men,  it's  all  right.  No  need  of  any 
more  words.  Here's  the  paper,"  said  Perez,  authori 
tatively.  A  man  caught  it  from  his  hand  and  gave  it 
to  another,  saying, 


Judge  D wight's  Signature  103 

"  Here,  Pete,  yew  kin  read.  What  doos  it  say? "  Pete 
took  the  document  in  both  hands,  grasping  it  with  un 
necessary  firmness,  as  if  he  depended  in  some  degree 
on  physical  force  to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  de 
cipherment,  and  proceeded  slowly  and  with  tremendous 
frowns  to  spell  it  out. 

"  *  We  -  promise  -  not  -  to-ak-under-our-c — o — m,-com- 
mishins-until  the-g — r — i — e — grievunces, '  " 

"What  be  them? "  demanded  one  of  the  crowd. 

"  That  means  taxes,  'n  lawyers,  'n  debts,  'n  all  that. 
I've  hearn  the  word  afore,"  exclaimed  another. 
"G'long,  Pete." 

"'Grievunces,'"  proceeded  the  reader,  "'of  which- 
the-people-complain. ' " 

"That's  so." 

"  That's  darn  good.     In  course  we  complain." 

"Is  that  writ  so,  Pete?" 

"G'long,  Pete,  that  air's  good." 

" '  Complain,'  "  began  the  reader  again. 

"Go  back  to  the  beginnin',  Pete,  I  lost  the  hang 
on't." 

"  Yas,  go  back  a  leetle,  Pete.  It  be  most  ez  long  ez  a 
sermon. " 

"  Shell  I  begin  tew  the  beginnin'? " 

"Yas,  begin  tew  the  beginnin'  agin,  so's  we'll  all  on 
us  git  the  hang." 

" '  We  -  promise  -  not-  tew-ak-under-our-commishins,- 
until-the  —  g — r — grievunces-of-which-the-people-com- 
plain-are-r — e — d — r — redressed. ' ' 

"What's  'redressed?'" 

"That's  same  ez  'bolished." 

"Here  be  the  names,"  pursued  Pete.  "'Charles 
Goodrich. '  " 

"  He's  the  feller  ez  lost  his  hat" 


104  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"'  William  Whiting,  James  Barker,  Elijah  Dwight.'" 

"It's  false!"  exclaimed  Dwight,  "my  name  is  not 
there." 

But  few,  if  any,  heard  or  heeded  his  words,  for  at  the 
moment  Pete  pronounced  the  last  name,  Perez  shouted: 

"Now,  men,  we've  done  this  job,  let's  go  to  the  jail 
and  let  out  the  debtors, — come  on!  "  and  suiting  action 
to  word  he  rushed  out,  and  was  followed  pell-mell  by 
the  yelling  crowd,  all  their  truculent  enthusiasm  in 
stantly  diverted  into  this  new  channel. 

The  four  justices,  and  the  wife  and  daughter  of  Jus 
tice  Dwight,  alone  remained  in  the  room.  Even  the 
people  who  had  been  staring  in,  with  their  noses  flat 
tened  against  the  window-panes,  had  rushed  away  to  the 
new  point  of  interest.  Dwight  stood  steadfastly  looking 
at  his  daughter,  with  a  stern  and  Rhadamanthine  gaze, 
in  which,  nevertheless,  grief  and  reproachful  surprise, 
not  less  than  indignation,  were  expressed.  The  girl, 
shrinking  behind  her  mother,  seemed  more  in  terror 
than  when  the  mob  had  burst  into  the  room. 

"  And  so  my  daughter  has  disobeyed  her  father,  has 
told  him  a  lie,  and  has  disgraced  him,"  said  the  justice, 
slowly  and  calmly,  but  in  tones  that  bore  a  crushing 
weight  of  reproof. 

"Add,  sir,  at  least,  that  she  has  also  saved  his  life," 
interposed  one  of  the  other  justices. 

"Oh,  don't  talk  to  me  so,  father,"  cried  the  girl  sob 
bing.  "  I  didn't  write  your  name,  I  truly  didn't." 

"  Do  not  add  to  your  sin  by  denials,  my  daughter. 
Did  not  the  fellow  read  my  name? "  Dwight  regarded 
her  as  he  said  this,  as  if  he  were  somewhat  disgusted 
at  such  persistent  falsehood,  and  the  others  looked  a 
little  as  if  their  sympathy  with  the  girl  had  received  a 
slight  shock. 


Judge  Dwight's  Signature  105 

"  But,  father,  won't  you  believe  me?  "  sobbed  the  girl, 
clinging  to  her  mother  as  not  daring  to  approach  him 
to  whom  she  appealed.  "  I  only  wrote  my  own  name. " 

"  Your  name,  Eliza, — but  he  read  mine." 

"  Yes,  but  the  pen  was  bad,  you  see,  and  my  name 
looks  so  like  yours  when  it's  writ  carelessly  and  the 
*  z  '  is  a  little  quirked,  and  I  wrote  it  carelessly,  father. 
Please  forgive  me.  I  didn't  want  to  have  you  killed, 
and  I  quirked  the  *  z '  a  little." 

The  Rhadamanthine  frown  on  Dwight's  face  yielded 
to  a  composite  expression,  a  look  in  which  chagrin,  ten 
derness,  and  a  barely  perceptible  trace  of  amusement 
mingled.  The  girl  instantly  had  her  arms  around  his 
neck,  and  was  crying  violently  on  his  shoulder,  though 
she  knew  she  was  forgiven.  He  put  his  hand  a  mo 
ment  gently  on  her  head,  and  then  unloosed  her  arms, 
saying,  dryly, 

"  That  will  do,  dear ;  go  to  your  mother  now.  I  shall 
see  that  you  have  better  instruction  in  writing. " 

That  was  the  only  rebuke  he  ever  gave  her. 


CHAPTER  X. 
The  Taking  of  the  Jail 

WHEN  Perez  and  the  men  who  with  him  were  in  the 
act  of  advancing  on  the  jail,  were  so  suddenly  recalled 
by  the  judges,  Prudence  had  been  left  quite  alone,  sit 
ting  on  Perez's  horse  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  She 
had  no  clear  idea  what  all  this  crowd  and  commotion 
in  the  village  was  about,  nor  even  what  the  Stockbridge 
men  had  come  down  for  in  such  martial  array.  She 
only  knew  that  Mrs.  Hamlin's  son,  the  captain  with 
the  sword,  had  said  he  would  take  her  to  her  father, 
and  now  that  he  had  run  off,  taking  all  the  other  men 
with  him,  she  knew  not  what  to  do  or  which  way  to 
turn.  To  her,  thus  perched  up  on  the  big  horse,  con 
fused  and  scared  by  the  tumult,  approached  a  tall,  sal 
low,  gaunt  old  woman,  in  a  huge  green  sun-bonnet,  and 
a  butternut  gown  of  coarsest  homespun.  Her  features 
were  strongly  marked,  but  their  expression  was  not  un 
kindly,  though  just  now  troubled  and  anxious. 

"  I  guess  I've  seen  yew  ter  meetin',"  she  said  to  Pru 
dence.  "  Ain't  you  Fennell's  gal?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  girl,  "  I  come  daown  to  see  father. " 
Prudence,  although  she  had  profited  by  having  lived  at 
service  in  the  Woodbridge  family,  where  she  heard 
good  English  spoken,  made  frequent  lapses  into  the 
popular  dialect. 

"I'm  Mis'  Poor.  Zadkiel  Poor's  my  husban'.  He's 
in  jail  over  there  'long  with  yer  dad,  He's  kinder  ail- 


The  Taking  of  the  Jail  107 

in',  an'  I  fetched  daown  some  roots  'n  yarbs  us  used 
ter  dew  him  a  sight  o'  good,  when  he  was  ter  hum.  I 
thought  mebbe  I  might  git  ter  see  him.  Him  as  keeps 
jail  lets  folks  in  sometimes,  I  hearn  tell. " 

"  Do  you  know  where  the  jail  is? "  asked  the  gill. 

"It's  that  ere  haouse  over  there.  It's  in  with  the 
tavern." 

"  Let's  go  and  ask  the  jailer  if  he'll  let  us  in,"  sug 
gested  Prudence. 

"  I  wuz  goin'  ter  wait  an'  git  Isr'el  Goodrich  ter  go 
long  an'  kind  o'  speak  fer  me,  ef  I  could,"  said  Mrs. 
Poor.  "  He's  considabul  thought  on  by  folks  'raound 
here,  an'  he's  a  neighbor  o'  ourn,  an'  real  kind,  Isr'el 
Goodrich  is.  But  I  don't  see  him  nowhere  'raound, 
an'  mebbe  we  might's  well  go  right  along,  an'  not 
wait  no  longer." 

And  so  the  two  women  went  on  toward  the  jail,  and 
Prudence  dismounted  before  the  door  of  the  tavern 
end,  and  tied  the  horse. 

*  I  guess  they  must  keep  the  folks  in  that  ere  ell 
part,  with  the  row  o'  leetle  winders,"  said  Mrs.  Poor. 
She  spoke  in  a  hushed  voice,  as  one  speaks  near  a 
tomb.  The  girl  was  quite  pale,  and  she  stared  with  a 
scared  fascination  at  the  wall  behind  which  her  father 
was  shut  up.  Timidly  the  women  entered  the  open 
door.  Both  Bement  and  his  wife  were  in  the  barroom. 

"What  do  ye  want?"  demanded  the  latter,  sharply. 

Mrs.  Poor  curtsied  very  low,  and  smiled  a  vague,  ab 
ject  smile  of  propitiation. 

"If  ye  please,  marm,  I'm  Mis'  Poor.  He's  in  this 
ere  jail  fer  debt.  He's  kind  o'  pulin'  like,  Zadkiel  is, 
an'  I  jest  fetched  daown  some  yarbs  fer  him.  He's 
been  used  ter  takin'  on  'em,  an'  they  doos  him  good, 
specially  the  sassafras  An'  I  thought  mebbe,  marm,  I 


io8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

might  git  ter  see  him,  bein'  ez  he  ain't  a  well  man,  an* 
never  wuz  sence  I  married  him,  twenty-five  year 
agone  come  next  Thanksgivin'. " 

"  And  I  want  to  see  father,  if  you  please,  marm.  My 
father's  George  Fennell.  Is  he  very  sick,  marm? " 
added  Prudence  eagerly,  seeing  that  Mrs.  Poor  was 
forgetting  her. 

"  I  don't  keer  who  ye  be,  an*  ye  needn't  waste  no 
time  a-tellin'  me,"  replied  Mrs.  Bement  curtly,  her 
blue  eyes  as  hard  as  steel ;  "  ye  couldn't  go  inter  that 
jail  not  ef  ye  wuz  Gin'ral  Washington.  I  ain't  goin' 
ter  hev  no  women  folks  a-bawlin'  an'  a-blubberin' 
round  this  'ere  jail  s'long's  my  husban'  keeps  it,  an' 
that's  flat." 

"  I  won't  cry  a  bit,  if  you'll  only  let  me  see  father," 
pleaded  Prudence,  two  great  tears  gathering  in  her 
eye  3  even  as  she  spoke,  and  testifying  to  the  value  of 
her  promise.  "  And — and  I'll  scrub  the  floor  for  you, 
too.  It  needs  it,  and  I'm  a  good  scrubber.  Mrs.  Wood- 
bridge  says  I  am." 

"  I'd  take  it  kind  of  ye,  I  would,"  said  Mrs.  Poor,  "  ef 
ye'd  let  me  in  jest  fer  a  minute.  He'd  set  store  by  see- 
in'  of  me,  an'  I  could  give  him  the  yarbs.  He  ain't  a 
well  man,  an'  never  wuz,  Zadkiel  ain't.  Ye  needn't  let 
the  gal  in.  It  don't  matter  s'  much  abaout  her,  an'  gals 
is  cryin'  things.  I'll  scrub  yer  floor  better  'n  she  ever 
kin,  an'  come  to  look,  it  doos  kind  o'  need  it,"  and  she 
turned  her  agonized  eyes  a  moment  upon  the  floor  in 
affected  critical  inspection. 

"Cephas,  see  that  crowd  comin'.  What  do  they 
want?  Put  them  women  out.  G'long  there,  git  out, 
quick!  Shut  the  door,  Cephas.  Put  up  the  bar. 
Whatever's  comin'  to  us? " 

Well  might  Mrs.  Bement  say  so,  for  the  sight  that 


The  Taking  of  the  Jail  109 

had  caught  her  eyes  as  she  stood  confronting  the  wom 
en  and  the  open  door  was  no  less  than  a  mass  of  nearly 
a  thousand  men  and  boys,  bristling  with  clubs  and  guns, 
rushing  directly  toward  the  jail. 

Scarcely  had  the  white-faced  Bement  thrust  the 
women  out  and  dropped  the  bar  into  its  sockets  across 
the  middle  of  the  door,  than  there  was  a  rushing, 
tramping  sound  before  the  house,  and  a  great  hubbub 
of  hoarse  voices.  Then  came  a  heavy  blow,  as  if  with 
the  hilt  of  a  sword  against  the  door,  and  a  loud  voice 
called: 

"  Open,  and  be  quick  about  it!  " 

"  Don't  do  it,  Cephas ;  the  house  is  stout,  and  mebbe 
help'll  come,"  said  Mrs.  Bement,  although  she  trembled. 

But  Cephas,  though  usually  like  clay  in  the  hands 
of  his  wife,  was  at  this  instant  dominated  by  a  terror 
greater  than  his  fear  of  her.  He  lifted  the  bar  from 
the  sockets,  and  was  sent  staggering  back  against  the 
wall  as  the  door  burst  open.  The  room  was  instantly 
filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  men,  who  dropped 
the  butts  of  their  muskets  on  the  floor  with  a  jar  that 
made  the  bottles  in  the  bar  clink  in  concert. 

Bement,  who  managed  to  get  behind  the  bar,  stood 
there  with  a  face  like  ashes,  his  flabby  cheeks  relaxed 
with  terror  so  they  hung  like  dewlaps.  He  evidently 
expected  nothing  better  than  to  be  butchered  without 
mercy  on  the  spot. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Bement,"  said  Perez,  as  coolly 
as  if  he  had  just  dropped  in  for  a  glass  of  flip. 

"Good  morning,  sir,"  faintly  articulated  the  land 
lord. 

"You  remember  me,  perhaps.  I  took  dinner  here 
last  Saturday,  and  visited  my  brother  in  the  jail.  I 
should  like  to  see  him  again.  Will  you  be  kind  enough 


no          The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

to  hand  me  the  keys  hanging  there  behind  you?  "  Be- 
ment  stared  as  if  dazed  at  Perez,  looked  around  at  the 
crowd  of  men,  and  then  looked  back  at  Perez  again, 
and  still  stood  gaping. 

"  Did  ye  hear  the  cap'n? "  shouted  Abner  in  a  voice 
of  thunder.  Bement  gave  a  start  of  terror,  and  in 
voluntarily  turned  to  take  the  bunch  of  keys  down 
from  the  nail.  But  by  the  time  he  had  turned,  the 
keys  were  no  longer  there. 

It  had  been  easy  to  see  from  the  first  that  Mrs. 
Bement  was  made  of  quite  different  stuff  from  her  hus 
band.  As  she  stood  by  his  side  behind  the  bar,  al 
though  she  was  tremulous  with  excitement,  the  look 
with  which  she  had  faced  the  crowd  was  rather  vixen 
ish  than  frightened.  There  was  a  vicious  sparkle  in 
her  eyes,  and  the  color  of  her  cheeks  was  concentrated 
in  two  small  spots,  one  under  each  cheekbone.  Just 
as  her  husband,  succumbing  to  the  inevitable,  was 
turning  to  take  the  keys  from  their  nail  and  deliver 
them  over,  she  quietly  reached  behind  him  and 
snatched  them.  Then,  with  a  deft  motion  opening  the 
top  of  her  gown  a  little,  she  dropped  them  into  her 
bosom,  and  looked  at  Perez  with  a  defiant  expression, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  Now  I  should  like  to  see  you  get 
them." 

There  was  no  doubt  about  the  little  shrew  being 
thoroughly  game,  and  yet  her  act  was  less  striking  as 
evidence  of  her  bravery  than  as  testifying  her  confi 
dence  in  the  chivalry  of  the  rough  men  before  her. 
And,  indeed,  it  was  comical  to  see  the  dumbfoundered 
and  chopfallen  expression  on  their  flushed  and  excited 
faces  as  they  took  in  the  meaning  of  this  piece  of 
strategy.  They  had  taken  up  arms  against  their  gov 
ernment,  and  but  a  few  moments  before  had  been  re- 


The  Taking  of  the  Jail  in 

strained  with  difficulty  from  laying  violent  hands  upon 
the  august  judges  of  the  land,  but  not  the  boldest  of 
them  thought  it  possible  to  touch  this  woman.  There 
were  men  here  whom  neither  lines  of  bayonets  nor 
walls  of  stone  would  have  turned  back,  but  not  one 
of  them  was  bold  enough  to  lay  a  forcible  hand  upon 
the  veil  that  covered  a  woman's  breast.  They  were 
Americans. 

There  was  a  dead  silence.  The  men  gaped  at  each 
other,  and  Perez  himself  looked  a  little  foolish  for  a 
moment.  Then  he  turned  to  Abner  and  said  in  a 
grimly  quiet  way: 

"  Knock  Bement  down.  Then  four  of  you  swing  him 
by  his  arms  and  legs  and  break  the  jail  door  through 
with  his  head." 

"Ye  wouldn't  murder  me,  cap'n,"  gasped  the  hapless 
man.  In  a  trice  Abner  had  hauled  him  out  from  be 
hind  the  bar,  and  tripped  him  up  on  the  floor.  Then 
three  other  men,  together  with  Abner,  seized  him  by 
the  hands  and  feet,  and  half  dragged,  half  carried  him 
across  the  room  to  the  door  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the 
sides  which  opened  into  the  jail  corridor. 

"Swing  the  cuss  three  times,  so's  ter  git  kind  o' 
a-goin',  an*  then  we'll  see  whether  his  head  or  the  door's 
the  thickest,"  said  Abner. 

"Give  'em  the  keys,  Marthy.  They're  a-killin'  me," 
cried  Bement. 

The  woman  set  her  teeth.  Her  face  was  a  little 
whiter,  the  red  spots  under  her  cheek-bones  were  a  lit 
tle  smaller  and  redder  than  before.  That  was  all  the 
sign  she  gave.  Putting  her  hand  convulsively  over 
the  spot  on  her  bosom  where  the  desired  articles  were 
secreted,  she  replied  in  a  shrill  voice : 

"I   shell   keep  the  keys,  Cephas.     It's  my  dewty. 


1 1 2  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Pray,  Cephas,  that  I  may  hev  strength  given  me  ter 
dew  my  dewty." 

"Ye  won't  see  me  killed  'fore  yer  eyes,  will  ye? 
Give  'em  the  keys,  I  tell  ye,"  shrieked  Bement,  as 
they  began  to  swing  him,  and  Abner  said : 

"One." 

The  woman  looked  a  bit  more  like  going  into  hys 
terics,  but  not  a  whit  more  like  yielding. 

"  Mebbe  't  wont  kill  ye,  an'  they  can't  bust  the  door, 
nohow.  Mebbe  they'll  git  tuckered  'fore  long.  If 
wust  comes  to  wust,  it's  a  comfort  ter  know  ez  ye're  a 
perfesser  in  good  standin'." 

Bement  had  doubtless  had  previous  experience  of  a 
certain  tenacity  of  purpose  on  the  part  of  his  spouse, 
for  he  ceased  to  address  further  adjurations  to  her,  and 
began  to  appeal  for  mercy  to  the  men. 

"Two,"  said  Abner,  as  they  swung  him  again. 

Now,  Mrs.  Poor  and  Prudence,  having  been  thrust 
out  of  the  barroom  just  before  the  mob  thundered 
up  against  the  barred  door,  had  been  borne  back 
into  the  room  again  by  the  rush  when  the  door  was 
opened,  and  it  was  Mrs.  Poor  who  now  made  a  diver 
sion. 

"Look  a-here,  Abner  Rathbun,"  she  said,  "what  in 
time's  the  use  of  murd'rin  the  man?  He  hain't  done 
nothin*.  It's  the  woman  ez  hez  got  the  keys.  She 
wouldn't  let  me  in  ter  see  Zadkiel,  an'  I'm  jest  itchin' 
ter  git  my  hands  onto  her,  an'  that's  the  trewth,  ef  I  be 
a  perfesser.  You  let  the  man  alone.  I'll  git  them 
keys,  or  my  name  ain't  Resignation  Ann  Poor." 

There  was  a  general  murmur  of  approval,  and 
without  waiting  for  orders  from  Perez,  Abner  and 
his  helpers  let  Bement  drop,  and  he  scrambled  to  his 
feet. 


BEMENT  APPEALED  FOR  MERCY  TO  THE  MEN.' 


The  Taking  of  the  Jail  113 

Mrs.  Bement  began  to  pant.  She  knew  well  enough 
that  she  had  nothing  to  fear  from  all  the  men  in 
Massachusetts,  but  one  of  her  own  sex  was  a  more 
formidable  enemy.  And,  indeed,  a  much  more  robust 
person  than  the  jailer's  little  wife  might  have  been  ex 
cused  for  not  relishing  a  tussle  with  the  tall,  raw-boned 
old  woman,  with  hands  brown,  muscular,  and  labor- 
hardened  as  a  man's,  who  now  deliberately  laid  her  big 
green  sun-bonnet  on  the  counter,  and  stepping  to  the 
open  end  of  the  bar  advanced  toward  Mrs.  Bement. 
Mrs.  Poor  held  her  hands  before  her  about  breast  high, 
at  half  arm's  length,  elbows  depressed,  palms  turned 
outward,  the  fingers  curved  like  a  cat's  claws.  There 
was  an  expression  of  grim  satisfaction  on  her  hard 
features. 

Mrs.  Bement  stood  awaiting  her,  breathing  hard, 
evidently  scared,  but  quite  as  evidently  furious. 

"Give  'em  the  keys,  Marthy.  She'll  kill  ye,"  called 
out  Bement,  from  the  back  of  the  room. 

But  she  paid  no  attention  to  this.  Her  fingers  began 
to  curve  like  claws,  and  her  hands  assumed  the  same 
feline  attitude  as  Mrs.  Poor's.  It  was  easy  to  see  that 
the  pluck  of  the  little  woman  extorted  a  certain  admir 
ation  from  the  very  men  who  had  fathers,  sons,  and 
brothers  in  the  cells  beyond.  She  was  not  a  bit  more 
than  half  as  big  as  her  antagonist,  but  she  looked  game 
to  the  backbone,  and  the  forthcoming  result  was  not 
altogether  to  be  predicted.  You  could  have  heard  a 
pin  drop  in  the  room,  as  the  men  leaned  over  the 
counter  with  faces  expressive  of  intensest  excitement, 
while  those  behind  stood  on  tip-toe  to  see.  For  the 
moment  everything  else  was  forgotten  in  the  interest 
of  the  impending  combat.  Mrs.  Bement  seemed  draw 
ing  back  for  a  spring.  Then  suddenly,  quick  as  light- 
8 


H4  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

ning,  she  put  her  hand  in  her  bosom,  drew  out  the 
keys,  and  throwing  them  down  on  the  counter,  burst 
into  hysterical  sobs. 

In  another  moment  the  jail  door  was  thrown  open, 
and  the  men  were  rushing  down  the  corridor. 


CHAPTER   XL 
What  the  Jail  Held 

THEN,  presently,  the  jail  was  full  of  cries  of  horror 
and  indignation.  For  each  cell  door,  as  it  was  unbarred 
and  thrown  open,  revealed  the  same  heartrending  scene, 
the  deliverers  starting  back  or  standing  quite  transfixed 
before  the  ghastly  and  withered  figures  which  rose  up 
before  them  from  dank  pallets  of  putrid  straw.  The 
faces  of  these  dismal  apparitions  expressed  the  terror 
and  apprehension  which  the  tumult  and  uproar  about 
the  jail  had  created  in  minds  no  longer  capable  of  en 
tertaining  hope. 

Ignorant  as  to  who  were  the  occupants  of  particular 
cells,  it  was,  of  course,  a  matter  of  chance  whether 
those  who  opened  any  one  of  them  were  the  friends  of 
the  unfortunates  who  were  its  inmates.  But  for  a 
melancholy  reason  this  was  a  matter  of  indifference. 
So  ghastly  a  travesty  on  their  former  hale  and  robust 
selves  had  sickness  and  sunless  confinement  made  al 
most  all  the  prisoners,  that  not  even  brothers  recog 
nized  their  brothers,  and  the  corridor  echoed  with 
poignant  voices,  calling  to  the  poor  creatures : 

"What's  your  name?"  "Is  this  Abijah  Galpin?" 
"  Are  you  my  brother  Jake? "  "  Are  you  Sol  Morris? " 
"  Father,  is  it  you? " 

As  they  entered  the  jail  with  the  rush  of  men,  Perez 
had  taken  Prudence's  hand,  and  remembering  the  loca 
tion  of  Reuben's  cell,  stopped  before  it,  lifted  the  bar, 


n6  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

threw  open  the  door,  and  they  went  in.  George  Fennell 
was  lying  on  the  straw  upon  the  floor.  He  had  raised 
himself  on  one  elbow,  and  was  looking  apprehensively 
to  see  what  the  opening  of  the  door  would  reveal  as  the 
cause  of  this  interruption  to  the  usually  sepulchral  still 
ness  of  the  jail.  Reuben  was  standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  eagerly  gazing  in  the  same  direction. 
Perez  sprang  to  his  brother's  side,  his  face  beautiful 
with  the  joy  of  the  deliverer.  If  he  had  been  a 
Frenchman,  or  an  Italian,  anything  but  an  Anglo-Sax 
on,  he  would  have  kissed  him,  with  one  of  those  noblest 
kisses  of  all,  wherewith  once  or  twice  in  a  lifetime  men 
may  greet  each  other.  But  he  only  supported  him 
with  one  arm  about  the  waist,  and  stroked  his  wasted 
cheek  with  his  hand,  saying, 

"  I've  come  for  you,  Reub,  old  boy, — you're  free." 

Prudence  had  first  peered  anxiously  into  the  face  of 
Reuben,  and  next  glanced  at  the  man  lying  on  the 
straw.  Then  she  plucked  Perez  by  the  sleeve,  and 
said  in  an  anguished  voice, 

"  Father  ain't  here.  Where  is  he? "  and  turned  to 
run  out. 

"That's  your  father,"  replied  Perez,  pointing  to  the 
sick  man. 

The  girl  sprang  to  his  side,  and  kneeling  down, 
searched  with  straining  eyes  in  the  bleached  and  bony 
face,  fringed  with  matted  hair  and  long  unkempt  gray 
beard,  for  some  trace  of  the  full  and  ruddy  countenance 
which  she  remembered.  She  would  still  have  hesitated, 
but  her  father  said : 

"  Prudy,  my  little  girl,  is  it  you?  " 

Her  eyes  might  not  recognize  the  lineaments  of  the 
face,  but  her  heart  recalled  the  intonation  of  tender 
ness,  though  the  voice  was  weak  and  changed.  Throw- 


What  the  Jail  Held  117 

ing  her  arms  around  his  neck,  pressing  her  full  red  lips 
in  sobbing  kisses  upon  his  corpse-like  face,  she  cried: 

"Father!     Oh,  father!" 

Presently  the  throng  began  to  pour  out  of  the  jail, 
bringing  with  them  those  they  had  released.  The 
news  that  the  jail  was  being  broken  open  and  the 
prisoners  set  free,  had  spread  like  wildfire  through  the 
thronged  village,  and  nearly  two  thousand  people  were 
now  assembled  in  front  of  and  about  the  jail,  including 
besides  the  people  from  out  of  town,  nearly  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  Great  Barrington  not  actually  bed 
ridden,  excepting,  of  course,  the  families  of  the  magis 
trates,  lawyers,  and  court  officers,  and  the  wealthier 
citizens,  who  sympathized  with  them.  These  were 
trembling  behind  their  closed  doors,  hoping,  but  by  no 
means  assured,  that  this  sudden  popular  whirlwind 
might  exhaust  itself  before  involving  them  in  destruc 
tion.  And,  indeed,  the  cries  of  pity,  and  the  hoarse, 
deep  groans  of  indignation  with  which  the  throng  be* 
fore  the  jail  received  the  prisoners  as  they  were  suc 
cessively  brought  forth,  were  well  calculated  to  inspire 
with  apprehension  those  who  knew  that  they  were  held 
responsible  by  the  public  judgment  for  the  deeds  of 
darkness  now  being  brought  to  light.  It  was  now  per 
haps  the  old  mother  and  young  wife  of  a  prisoner,  hold 
ing  up  between  them  the  son  and  husband,  and  guiding 
his  tottering  steps,  that  set  the  people  crying  and  groan 
ing.  Now  it  was  perhaps  a  couple  of  sturdy  sons,  the 
rare  tears  running  down  their  tanned  cheeks,  as  they 
brought  forth  a  white-haired  father,  blinking  with 
bleared  eyes  at  the  almost  forgotten  sun,  and  gazing 
with  dazed  terror  at  the  crowd  of  excited  people.  Now 
it  was  Perez  Hamlin,  leading  out  Reuben,  holding  him 
up  with  his  arm,  and  crying  like  a  baby  in  spite  of  all 


1 1 8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

that  he  could  do.  Nor  need  he  have  been  ashamed, 
for  there  were  few  men  who  were  not  in  like  plight. 
Then  came  Abner  and  Abe  Konkapot,  stepping 
carefully,  as  they  carried  in  their  arms  George  Fen- 
nell,  Prudence  walking  by  his  side,  and  holding  fast 
his  hand. 

Nor  must  I  forget  to  speak  of  Mrs.  Poor.  The  big, 
raw-boned  woman's  hard-favored  countenance  was 
lighted  up  with  motherly  solicitude,  as  she  lifted, 
rather  than  assisted,  Zadkiel  down  the  steps  of  the 
tavern. 

"  Why  don't  ye  take  him  up  in  yer  arms? "  remarked 
Obadiah  Weeks,  facetiously,  but  it  was  truly  more 
touching  than  amusing  to  see  the  protecting  tender 
ness  of  the  woman  for  the  puny  little  fellow  whom  an 
odd  freak  of  Providence  had  given  her  for  a  husband, 
instead  of  a  son. 

Although  Mrs.  Poor  movingly  declared  that  "he 
warn't  the  shadder  of  hisself,"  the  fact  was,  that  hav 
ing  been  but  a  short  time  in  jail,  Zadkiel  showed  few 
marks  of  confinement.  Far  enough  was  he  from  com 
paring  in  this  respect  with  the  others,  many  of  whom 
had  been  shut  up  for  years.  They  looked,  with  the 
dead  whiteness  of  their  faces  and  hands,  rather  like 
grewsome  cellar  plants,  torn  from  their  native  dark 
ness,  only  to  wither  in  the  upper  light  and  air,  than 
like  human  organisms  just  restored  to  their  normal 
climate.  As  they  moved  among  the  tanned  and  ruddy- 
faced  people,  their  abnormally  pallid  complexions  made 
them  look  like  representatives  of  the  strange  race  of  al 
binos. 

But  saddest  perhaps  of  all  the  sights  were  the  debt 
ors  who  found  no  acquaintances  or  relatives  to  wel 
come  them  as  they  came  forth  again,  helpless  as  at  their 


What  the  Jail  Held  119 

birth,  into  the  world  of  bustle,  and  sun,  and  breeze. 
It  was  piteous  to  see  them  wandering-  about  with  feeble 
and  sinewless  steps  and  vacant  eyes,  staring  timidly  at 
the  noisy  people,  and  shrinking  dismayed  from  the 
throngs  of  sympathizing  questioners  which  gathered 
round  them.  There  were  some  whose  names  not  even 
the  oldest  citizens  could  recall,  so  long  had  they  been 
shut  up  from  the  sight  of  men. 

Jails  in  those  days  were  deemed  as  good  places  as 
any  for  insane  persons,  and,  in  fact,  were  the  only 
places  available ;  so  that,  besides  those  whom  long  con 
finement  had  brought  almost  to  the  point  of  imbecility, 
there  were  several  entirely  insane  and  idiotic  individ 
uals  among  the  prisoners.  One  of  them  went  around 
in  a  high  state  of  excitement  declaring  that  it  was  the 
resurrection  morning.  Nor  was  the  delusion  altogether 
to  be  marveled  at,  considering  the  suddenness  with 
which  its  victim  had  exchanged  the  cell,  which  for 
twenty  years  had  been  his  home,  for  the  bright  vast 
firmament  of  heaven,  with  its  floods  of  dazzling  light 
and  its  blue  and  immeasurable  dome. 

Another  debtor,  a  man  from  Sheffield,  as  a  prisoner 
of  war  during  the  Revolution,  had  experienced  the  bar 
barities  practised  by  the  British  provost  Cunningham 
at  New  York.  Having  barely  returned  home  to  his 
native  village  when  he  was  thrust  into  jail  as  a  debtor, 
he  had  not  unnaturally  run  the  two  experiences  together 
in  his  mind.  It  was  his  hallucination  that  he  had  been 
all  the  while  a  prisoner  of  the  British  at  New  York,  and 
that  the  victorious  Continental  army  had  just  arrived  to 
deliver  him  and  his  comrades.  In  Perez  he  recognized 
General  Washington. 

"  Ye  wuz  a  long  time  comin',  Gin'ral,  but  it's  all  right 
naow,"  he  said.  "  I  know'd  ye'd  come  at  last  an'  I  told 


120  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

the  boys  not  to  git  diskerridged.  The  red-coats  has 
used  us  bad  though,  an'  I  hope  ye'll  hang  'em,  Gin'ral." 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  rape  was  practically 
an  unknown  crime  in  Berkshire,  and  theft  extremely 
uncommon.  But  among  the  prisoners  there  were  a  few 
criminals  of  this  kind.  These,  released  with  the  rest, 
were  promptly  recognized  and  seized  by  the  people. 
The  general  voice  was  first  for  putting  them  back  in 
the  cells,  but  Abner  declared  that  it  would  be  doing 
them  a  kindness  to  knock  them  on  the  head  rather  than 
to  send  them  back  to  such  pig-stys,  and  this  view  of 
the  matter  finding  favor,  the  fellows  were  turned  loose 
with  a  kick  apiece  and  a  warning  to  make  themselves 
scarce. 

In  the  first  outburst  of  indignation  over  the  horrible 
condition  of  the  prison  and  the  prisoners,  there  was  a 
yell  for  Bement,  and  had  the  men,  in  their  first  rage, 
laid  hands  on  him  it  certainly  would  have  gone  hard 
with  him.  But  he  was  not  to  be  found,  and  it  was  not 
until  some  time  after  that  some  one,  in  ransacking  the 
tavern,  found  him  in  the  garret,  hidden  under  a  tow 
mattress  stuffed  with  dried  leaves,  on  which  the  hired 
man  slept  at  night.  He  was  hauled  down  stairs  by  the 
heels  pretty  roughly,  and  shoved  and  buffeted  about  a 
good  deal;  but  the  people  having  now  passed  into  a 
comparatively  exhilarated  and  good-tempered  frame  of 
mind,  he  underwent  no  further  punishment,  that  is,  in 
his  person.  But  that  was  saved  only  at  the  expense 
of  his  pocket,  for  the  men  insisted  on  his  going  behind 
the  bar  and  treating  the  crowd,  a  process  which  was 
kept  up  until  there  was  not  a  drop  of  liquor  in  his  bar 
rels,  and  scarcely  a  sober  man  in  the  village.  Mrs. 
Bement,  meanwhile,  had  been  caught  and  held  by  some 
of  the  women,  while  one  of  the  prisoners,  a  bestial- 


What  the  Jail  Held  121 

looking  idiot,  driveling  and  gibbering,  and  reeking 
with  filth,  was  made  to  kiss  her.  No  other  penalty 
could  have  been  devised  at  once  so  crushing  to  the  vic 
tim  and  so  fully  commending  itself  to  the  popular  sense 
of  justice. 

There  were  about  ten  or  fifteen  of  the  released  debt 
ors  whose  homes  were  in  or  about  Stockbridge,  and  as 
they  could  not  walk  any  considerable  distance,  it  was 
necessary  to  provide  for  their  transport.  Israel  Good 
rich  and  Ezra  Phelps,  as  well  as  other  men  from  that 
town,  had  driven  down  in  their  carts,  and  these  vehi 
cles  being  filled  with  straw,  the  released  prisoners 
were  placed  in  them.  Israel  Goodrich  insisted  that 
Reuben  Hamlin  and  George  Fennell,  with  Prudence, 
should  go  in  his  cart,  and  into  it  were  also  lifted  three 
or  four  of  the  friendless  prisoners,  who  had  nowhere 
to  go,  and  whose  helpless  condition  had  stirred  old 
Israel's  benevolent  heart  to  its  depths. 

"  The  poor  critters  shell  stay  with  me,  ef  I  hev  ter 
send  my  chil'n  ter  the  neighbors  ter  make  room  fer 
7em,"  he  declared,  blowing  his  nose  with  a  blast  that 
made  his  horses  jump. 

With  six  or  seven  carts  leading  the  way,  and  some 
'seventy  or  eighty  men  following  on  foot,  the  Stock- 
bridge  party  began  the  march  home  about  two  o'clock. 
Fully  half  the  men  who  had  marched  down  in  the 
morning  chose  to  remain  over  in  Barrington  until 
later,  and  a  good  many  were  too  drunk  on  Bement's 
free  rum  to  walk.  Most  of  Paul  Hubbard's  iron-work 
ers  being  in  that  condition,  he  stayed  to  look  after 
them,  and  Peleg  Bidwell  had  also  stayed,  to  see  that 
none  of  the  Stockbridge  stragglers  got  into  trouble, 
and  to  bring  them  back  when  he  could.  Abner  walked 
at  the  head  of  the  men.  Perez  rode  by  Israel  Good- 


122  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

rich's  cart.  They  traveled  slowly,  and  it  was  five 
o'clock  when  they  came  in  plain  view  of  Stockbridge. 
The  same  exclamation  was  on  every  lip.  It  seemed  a 
year  instead  of  only  a  few  hours  since  they  had  left  in 
the  morning. 

"  It's  been  a  good  day's  work,  Cap'n  Hamlin — the 
best  I  ever  hed  a  hand  in,"  said  Israel.  "I  jedge  it 
was  the  Lord's  own  work,  ef  we  dew  git  hanged  for  't. " 

As  the  procession  passed  Israel's  house,  he  helped  out 
his  sad  guests,  and  sent  on  his  cart  with  its  other  in 
mates.  All  the  way  back  from  Barrington,  the  little 
company  had  been  meeting  a  string  of  men  and  boys, 
in  carts  and  afoot,  who,  having  heard  reports  of  what 
had  been  done,  were  hastening  to  see  for  themselves. 
Many  of  these  turned  back  with  the  returning  proces 
sion,  others  keeping  on.  This  exodus  of  the  masculine 
element,  begun  in  the  morning  and  continued  all  day, 
had  left  in  Stockbridge  few  save  women  and  girls,  and 
small  children,  always  excepting,  of  course,  the  families 
of  the  wealthier  and  governing  classes,  who  had  no  part 
nor  lot  in  the  matter.  Accordingly,  when  the  party 
reached  the  green,  there  was  only  an  assemblage  of 
women  and  children  to  receive  them.  These  crowded 
around  the  carts  containing  the  released  prisoners,  with 
exclamations  of  pity  and  amazement,  and  as  the  vehi 
cles  took  different  directions  at  the  parting  of  the 
streets,  each  one  was  followed  by  a  score  or  two,  who 
witnessed  with  tearful  sympathy  each  reunion  of  hus 
band  and  wife,  of  brother  and  sister,  of  mother  and 
son.  Several  persons  offered  to  take  George  Fennell, 
who  had  no  home  to  go  to,  into  their  houses ;  but  Perez 
said  that  he  should,  for  the  present  at  least,  lodge  with 
him. 

As  Israel  Goodrich's  cart,  containing  Reuben  and 


What  the  Jail  Held  123 

Fennell  and  Prudence,  and  followed  by  quite  a  con 
course,  turned  up  the  lane  to  Elnathan  Hamlin's  house 
and  stopped  before  the  door,  Elnathan  and  Mrs.  Ham- 
lin  came  out  looking  terrified.  Perez,  fearing  some 
disappointment,  had  not  told  them  plainly  that  he 
should  bring  Reuben  home,  and  the  report  of  the  jail- 
breaking,  although  it  had  reached  the  village,  had  not 
penetrated  to  their  rather  isolated  dwelling.  So  that 
it  was  with  chilling  apprehensions  rather  than  hope 
that  they  saw  the  cart,  driven  slowly,  as  if  it  carried 
the  dead,  stop  before  their  door,  and  the  crowd  of  peo 
ple  following  it. 

"  Mother,  Fve  brought  Reub  home,"  said  Perez,  and 
a  gaunt,  wild-looking  man  was  helped  out  of  the  cart, 
and  tottered  into  Mrs.  Hamlin's  arms. 

There  was  nothing  but  the  faint,  familiar  smile,  and 
the  unaltered  eyes,  to  tell  her  that  this  was  the  stalwart 
son  whom  the  sheriff  led  away  a  year  ago.  Had  she 
learned  that  he  was  dead,  it  would  have  shocked  her 
less  than  to  receive  him  alive  and  thus.  Elnathan  and 
she  led  him  into  the  house  between  them.  Ready 
hands  lifted  Fennell  out  of  the  cart  and  bore  him  in, 
Prudence  following.  And  then  Perez  went  in  and 
shut  the  door,  and  the  cart  drove  off,  the  people  fol 
lowing. 

Although  the  shock  which  Mrs.  Hamlin  had  received 
was  almost  overwhelming,  she  had  known  after  the 
first  moment  how  to  conceal  it,  and  no  sooner  had  the 
invalids  been  brought  within  doors  and  comfortably 
placed  than  she  began  without  a  moment's  delay  to 
bestir  herself  to  prepare  them  food  and  drink,  and 
make  provision  for  their  comfort.  Tears  of  anguish 
filled  her  eyes  whenever  she  turned  aside,  but  they 
were  wiped  away,  and  her  face  was  smiling  and  cheery 


i  24  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

when  she  looked  at  Reuben.  But  being  with  Perez  a 
moment  in  a  place  apart,  she  broke  down  and  wept 
bitterly. 

"  You  have  brought  him  home  to  die, "  she  sobbed. 

But  he  reassured  her. 

"  I  have  seen  sick  men,"  he  said,  "and  I  don't  think 
Reub  will  die.  He'll  pull  through,  now  he  has  your 
care.  I'm  afraid  poor  George  is  too  far  gone,  but 
Reub  will  come  out  all  right.  Never  fear,  mother." 

"  Far  be  it  from  me  to  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel 
by  my  want  of  faith,"  said  Mrs.  Hamlin.  "  If  it  be  the 
Lord's  will  that  Reuben  live,  he  will  live,  and  if  it  be 
not  His  will,  yet  still  will  I  praise  His  name  for  His 
great  goodness  in  that  I  am  permitted  to  take  care  of 
him,  and  do  for  him  to  the  last.  Who  can  say  but  the 
Most  High  will  show  still  greater  mercy  to  His  servant, 
and  save  my  son  alive?" 

As  soon  as  the  sick  men  were  a  little  revived  from 
the  exhaustion  of  their  journey,  tubs  of  water  were 
provided  in  the  shed,  and  they  washed  themselves  all 
over,  Elnathan  and  Perez  assisting  in  the  repulsive 
task.  Then,  their  filthy  prison  garments  being  thrown 
away,  they  were  dressed  in  old  clothing  of  Elnathan's, 
and  their  hair  and  matted  beards  were  shorn  off  with 
scissors.  Perez  built  a  fire  in  the  huge  open  fireplace, 
to  ward  off  the  slight  chill  of  evening,  and  the  sick 
men  were  comfortably  arranged  before  it  upon  the 
great  settle.  The  elderly  woman  and  the  deft-handed 
maiden  moved  softly  about,  setting  the  tea-table,  and 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  invalids,  arranging  now 
a  covering,  now  moving  a  stool,  or  maybe  merely  rest 
ing  their  cool  and  tender  palms  upon  the  fevered  fore 
heads.  Fennell  had  fallen  peacefully  asleep,  but 
Reuben's  face  wore  a  smile,  and  in  his  eyes,  as  they 


What  the  Jail  Held  125 

languidly  followed  his  mother's  motions,  to  and  fro, 
there  was  a  look  of  unutterable  content. 

"I  declar'  for  't,"  piped  old  Elnathan,  as  he  sat  in 
the  chimney  corner  warming  his  fingers  over  the  ruddy 
blaze, — "  I  declar'  for  't,  mother,  the  boy  looks  like  an 
other  man  a'ready.  There  ain't  nothin'  like  hum  fer 
sick  folks." 

"I  shan't  want  no  doctor's  stuff,"  said  Reuben, 
feebly.  "  Seein'  mother  'raound's  med'cin'  'nough  fer 
me,  I  guess." 

And  Perez,  as  he  stood  leaning  against  the  chimney, 
and  looking  on  the  scene,  lit  by  the  flickering  firelight, 
said  to  himself  that  never,  surely,  in  all  his  fighting 
had  he  drawn  his  sword  to  such  good  and  holy  pur 
pose  as  that  day. 

Soon  after  nightfall  the  latch-string  was  pulled  in  a 
timid  sort  of  way,  and  Obadiah  Weeks  stood  on  the 
threshold,  waiting  sheepishly  till  Mrs.  Hamlin  bade 
him  enter.  He  came  forward  toward  the  chimney, 
taking  off  his  hat  and  smoothing  his  hair  with  his  hand. 

"  It  looks  kind  o'  good  ter  see  a  fire,"  he  remarked, 
presently  supplementing  this  by  the  observation  that  it 
was  "kind  o'  hot  though,"  and  grinning  vaguely 
around  at  every  one  in  the  room,  with  the  exception  of 
Prudence.  He  did  not  look  at  her,  though  he  looked 
all  around  her.  He  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and 
took  them  out,  rubbed  one  boot  against  the  other,  and 
examined  a  wart  on  one  of  his  thumbs,  as  if  he  now 
observed  it  for  the  first  time  and  was  quite  absorbed 
in  the  discovery. 

Then  with  a  suddenness  that  somewhat  startled 
Perez,  who  had  been  looking  at  him  with  some  curios 
ity,  he  wheeled  around  so  as  to  face  Prudence,  and 
simultaneously  sought  in  his  pocket  for  something. 


126  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Not  finding  it  at  first,  his  face  got  very  red.  Finally, 
however,  he  drew  forth  a  little  bundle  and  gave  it  to  the 
girl,  mumbling  something  about  "  Sassafras,  thought 
mebbe  't  would  be  good  fer  yer  dad,"  and  bolted  out 
of  the  room. 

Nobody  said  anything  after  Obadiah's  abrupt  retire 
ment,  but  when,  a  few  moments  later,  Prudence  looked 
shyly  around,  with  cheeks  a  little  rosier  than  usual,  she 
saw  Perez  regarding  her  with  a  slight  smile  of  amuse 
ment.  A  minute  after  she  got  up  and  went  over  to 
Mrs.  Hamlin,  and  laid  the  sassafras  in  her  lap,  saying, 

"  Don't  you  want  this,  Mrs.  Hamlin?  I'm  sure  I 
don't  know  what  it's  good  for,"  and  went  back  to  her 
seat  and  sat  down  again,  with  a  little  toss  of  the  head. 

Presently  a  medley  of  discordant  sounds  began  to 
float  up  from  the  village  on  the  gentle  southerly 
breeze.  There  was  a  weird,  unearthly  groaning,  as  of 
a  monster  in  pain,  mingled  with  the  beating  of  tin 
pans.  Perez  finally  went  to  see  what  it  was.  At  the 
end  of  the  lane  he  met  Peleg  Bidwell,  and  Peleg  ex 
plained  the  matter. 

"  Ye  see  the  boys  hev  all  got  back  from  Harrington, 
and  they're  pretty  darned  drunk,  most  on  'em,  an'  so 
nothin'  would  do  but  they  must  go  an'  rig  up  a  hoss- 
fiddle  an'  hunt  up  some  pans,  an'  go  an'  serenade  the 
silk-stockin's.  They  wuz  a-givin'  it  ter  Squire  Wood- 
bridge,  when  I  come  by.  I  guess  he  won't  git  much 
sleep  ter-night,"  and  with  this  information  Perez  went 
home  again. 


CHAPTER   XII. 
A  Fair  Suppliant 

DOCTOR  PARTRIDGE  lived  at  this  time  on  the  hill 
north  of  the  village,  and  not  very  far  from  the  parson 
age,  which  made  it  convenient  for  him  to  report 
promptly  to  Parson  West,  when  any  of  his  patients  had 
reached  that  point  where  spiritual  must  be  substituted 
for  medical  ministrations.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  by 
the  silver-dialed  clock  in  the  living-room  of  the  doc 
tor's  house,  when  Prudence  Fennell  knocked  at  the 
open  kitchen  door. 

"  What  do  you  want,  child? "  inquired  Mrs.  Partridge, 
who  was  in  the  kitchen  trying  to  instruct  a  negro  girl 
how  to  use  her  broom  of  twigs  so  as  to  distribute  the 
silvery  sand  upon  the  floor  in  the  complex  wavy  figures 
which  were  the  pride  of  the  housewife  of  that  day. 

"  Please,  marm,  father's  sick,  and  Mis'  Hamlin  thinks 
he  ought  to  have  the  doctor." 

"  Your  father  and  Mrs.  Hamlin?  Who  is  your  father, 
pray? " 

"  I'm  Prudence  Fennell,  marm,  and  father's  George 
Fennell.  He's  one  of  them  that  were  fetched  from 
Barrington  jail  yesterday,  and  he's  sick.  He's  at 
Mis'  Hamlin's,  please,  marm." 

"  Surely,  by  that,  he  must  be  one  of  the  debtors. 
The  sheriff  is  more  like  to  come  for  them  than  the  doc. 
tor.  They  will  be  back  in  jail  in  a  few  days,  no  doubt," 
said  Mrs.  Partridge,  sharply. 


iz8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  No  one  will  be  so  cruel.  Father  is  so  sick.  If  you 
could  see  him,  you  would  not  say  so.  They  shall  not 
take  him  to  jail  again.  If  Mr.  Seymour  comes  after 
him,  I'll  tear  his  eyes  out.  I'll  kill  him!  " 

"What  a  little  tiger  it  is!  "  said  Mrs.  Partridge,  re 
garding  with  astonishment  the  child's  blazing  eyes  and 
panting  bosom,  while  peering  over  her  mistress's 
shoulder  the  negro  girl  was  turning  up  the  whites  of 
her  eyes  at  the  display.  "  There,  there,  child,  I  meant 
nothing.  If  he  is  sick,  maybe  they  will  leave  him.  I 
know  naught  of  such  things.  But  this  Perez  Hamlin 
will  be  hanged  of  a  surety,  and  the  rest  be  put  in  the 
stocks  and  well  whipped. " 

"  He  will  not  be  hung.  No  one  will  dare  to  touch 
him,"  cried  Prudence,  becoming  excited  again.  "He 
is  the  best  man  in  the  world.  He  fetched  my  father 
out  of  jail." 

"  Nay,  but  if  you  are  so  spunky  to  say  '  no '  to  your 
betters,  't  is  time  you  went.  I  know  not  what  we  are 
in  the  way  to,  when  a  chit  of  a  maid  shall  set  me 
right,"  said  Mrs.  Partridge,  bristling  up  and  turning 
disdainfully  away. 

But,  her  indignation  at  once  forgotten  in  terror  lest 
the  doctor  might  not  come  to  her  father,  Prudence 
followed  her  and  caught  her  sleeve,  saying  in  tones  of 
entreaty,  supported  by  eyes  full  of  tears : 

"  Please,  marm,  don't  mind  what  I  said.  Box  my 
ears,  marm,  but  please  let  doctor  come.  Father  coughs 
so  bad. " 

"  I  will  tell  him,  and  he  will  do  as  he  sees  fit,"  said 
Mrs.  Partridge,  stiffly ;  "  and  now  run  home  and  do  not 
put  me  out  with  your  sauciness  again. " 

An  hour  or  two  later,  the  doctor's  chaise  stopped  at 
the  Hamlins'.  Doctors,  as  well  as  other  people,  were 


A  Fair  Suppliant  1 29 

plainer  spoken  in  those  days,  especially  in  dealing  with 
the  poor.  Doctor  Partridge  was  a  kind-hearted  man, 
but  it  did  not  occur  to  him,  as  it  does  to  his  successors 
of  our  day,  to  mince  matters  with  patients  and  cheer 
them  up  with  hopeful  generalities,  reserving  the  bitter 
truths  to  whisper  in  the  ears  of  their  friends  outside 
the  door.  After  a  look  and  a  few  words,  he  said  to 
Fennell: 

"  I  can  do  you  no  good." 

"  Shall  I  die? "  asked  the  sick  man,  faintly. 

"  You  may  live  a  few  weeks,  but  not  longer.  The 
disease  has  taken  too  strong  a  hold. " 

Fennell  looked  around  the  room.  Prudence  was  not 
present. 

"Don't  tell  Prudy,"  he  said. 

As  to  Reuben,  who  was  already  looking  much  brighter 
than  the  preceding  night,  the  doctor  said : 

"He  may  get  well,"  and  left  a  little  medicine  for 
him. 

Perez,  who  had  been  in  the  room,  followed  him  out 
of  doors. 

"  Do  you  think  my  brother  will  get  well? "  he  asked. 

"  I  think  so,  if  he  does  not  have  to  go  back  to  jail." 

"He  will  not  go  back  unless  I  go  with  him,"  said 
Perez. 

"Well,  I  think  it  most  likely  you  will,"  replied  the 
doctor  dryly.  "  On  the  whole,  I  should  say  his  pros 
pect  of  long  life  was  better  than  yours,  if  I  am  speak 
ing  to  Perez  Hamlin,  the  mob  captain." 

"  You  mean  I  shall  be  hanged?  " 

"And  drawn  and  quartered,"  added  the  doctor,  grim 
ly.  "  That  is  the  penalty  for  treason,  I  believe." 

"Perhaps,"  said  Perez.  "We  shall  see.  There  will 
be  fighting  before  hanging.  At  any  rate,  if  I'm  hanged, 
9 


130  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

it  will  be  as  long  as  it's  short,  for  Reub  would  have 
died  if  I  hadn't  got  him  out  of  jail. " 

The  doctor  gathered  up  the  reins. 

"I  want  to  thank  you  for  coming,"  said  Perez. 
"You  know,  I  suppose,  that  we  are  very  poor,  and 
can't  promise  much  pay. " 

"  If  you'll  see  that  your  mob  doesn't  give  me  such  a 
serenade  as  it  did  Squire  Woodbridge  last  night,  I'll 
call  it  square,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he  drove  away. 

Now,  Meshech  Little,  the  carpenter,  had  gone  home 
and  to  bed  uproariously  drunk  the  night  before,  after 
taking  part  as  a  leading  performer  in  the  serenade  to 
the  Squire.  His  sleep  had  been  exceedingly  sound,  and 
in  the  morning  when  it  became  time  for  him  to  go  to 
his  work,  it  was  only  after  repeated  callings  and  shak 
ings  that  Mrs.  Little  was  able  to  elicit  any  sign  of 
wakefulness. 

"You  must  get  up,"  she  expostulated.  "Sun's  half 
way  daown  the  west  post,  an'  ye  know  how  mad  Dea 
con  Nash  '11  be  ef  ye  don't  git  done  shinglin'  his  barn 
ter-day."  After  a  series  of  heart-rending  groans  and 
yawns,  Meshech,  who  had  tumbled  on  the  bed  in  his 
clothes,  got  up  and  stood  stretching  and  rubbing  his 
eyes  in  the  middle  of  the  floor. 

"I  snum,  it's  kind  o'  tough,"  he  said.  "I  wuz  jest 
a-dreamin'  ez  I  wuz  latherin'  deacon.  I'd  jest  swotted 
him  one  in  the  snoot  when  ye  woke  me,  an'  naow,  by 
golly,  I've  got  ter  go  an'  work  fer  the  critter." 

"An'  ye  better  hurry,  tew,"  urged  his  wife  anxious 
ly.  "  Ye  know  ye  didn't  dew  the  fust  thing  all  day  yis'- 
day." 

"  Where  wuz  I  yis'day? "  asked  Meshech,  in  whose 
confused  faculties  the  only  distinct  recollection  was 
that  he  had  been  drunk. 


A  Fair    Suppliant  131 

"Ye  went  daown  ter  Barrington  'long  with  the 
craowd." 

Meshech  was  in  the  act  of  ducking  his  head  in  a 
bucket  of  water,  standing  on  a  bench  by  the  door,  but 
at  his  wife's  words  he  became  suddenly  motionless  as 
a  statue,  his  nose  close  to  the  water.  Then  he 
straightened  sharply  up  and  stared  at  her,  the  working 
of  his  eye  showing  that  he  was  gathering  up  tangled 
skeins  of  recollection. 

"Wai,  I  swow!  "  he  finally  ejaculated,  with  an  aston 
ished  drawl,  "ef  I  hadn't  forgot  the  hull  dum  per 
formance,  an'  here  I  wuz  a-gittin'  up  an*  goin'  to  work 
jest  ez  if  court  hadn't  been  stopped.  Gosh,  Sally,  I 
guess  I  be  my  own  man  to-day,  ef  I  hev  got  a  bad  taste 
in  my  mouth.  Golly !  it's  lucky  I  thought  afore  I  wet 
my  head.  I  couldn't  ha'  gone  ter  sleep  ag'in,"  and 
Meshech  turned  toward  the  bed,  with  apparent  inten 
tion  of  resuming  his  slumber. 

But  Mrs.  Little,  though  she  knew  there  had  been 
serious  disturbances  the  preceding  day,  could  by  no 
means  bring  her  mind  to  believe  that  the  entire  system 
of  law  and  public  authority  had  been  thus  suddenly  and 
completely  overthrown,  and  she  yet  again  adjured  her 
husband,  this  time  by  a  more  dread  name,  to  betake 
himself  to  labor. 

"  Ef  ye  don't  go  to  work,  Meshech,  Squire  Wood- 
bridge  '11  hev  ye  in  the  stocks  fer  gittin'  drunk.  Dea 
con  kin  git  ye  put  in  any  time  he  wants  ter  complain  on 
ye.  Ye  better  not  rile  him." 

But  at  this  Meshech,  instead  of  being  impressed, 
burst  into  a  loud  haw-haw. 

"Yis'day  mornin'  ye  could  ha'  scairt  me  out  of  a 
week's  growth  a-talkin'  'baout  Squire,  but,  gol,  ye'll 
hev  ter  try  suthin'  else  naow.  Why,  don't  ye  know  we 


132  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

wuz  a-serenadin'  Squire  with  a  hoss-fiddle  till  ten 
o'clock  last  night,  an*  he  didn't  das'  show  his  nose  out 
o'  doors?" 

"  Jiminy!  "  he  continued,  getting  into  bed  and  turn 
ing  over  toward  the  wall,  "  I'd  give  considabul  ef  I 
could  dream  I  wuz  lickin'  Squire.  Mebbe  I  kin.  Don't 
ye  wake  me  up  ag'in,  Sally; "  and  presently  his  regular 
snoring  proclaimed  that  he  had  departed  to  the  free 
hunting-grounds  of  dreamland  in  pursuit  of  his  desired 
game. 

Now,  Meshech's  was  merely  a  representative  case. 
He  was  by  no  means  the  only  workingman  who  that 
morning  kept  his  bed  warm  until  an  unaccustomed 
hour.  Except  those  who  had  farms  of  their  own  to 
work  on,  or  work  for  themselves  to  do,  there  was 
scarcely  any  one  in  the  town  who  went  to  work.  A 
large  part  of  the  labor  by  which  the  industries  of  the 
community  had  been  carried  on  had  been  that  of  debt 
ors  working  out  their  debts  at  such  allowance  for 
wages  as  their  creditor-employers  chose  to  make  them. 
If  they  complained  that  it  was  too  small,  they  had,  in 
deed,  their  choice  of  going  to  jail  in  preference  to  taking 
it,  but  no  third  alternative  was  before  them.  Of  these 
coolies,  as  we  should  call  them  in  these  days,  only  a 
few,  who  were  either  very  timid  or  ignorant  of  the  full 
effect  of  yesterday's  doings,  went  to  their  usual  tasks. 

Besides  the  coolies,  there  was  a  small  number  of 
laborers  who  commanded  actual  wages  in  produce  or  in 
money.  Although  there  was  no  reason  in  yesterday's 
proceedings  why  these  should  not  go  to  work  as  usual, 
yet  the  spirit  of  revolt  that  was  in  the  air,  and  the 
vague  impression  of  impending  changes  that  were  to 
better  the  condition  of  the  poor,  had  so  far  affected 
them  also  that  most  of  the  people  took  this  day  as  a 


A  Fair  Suppliant  133 

holiday,  with  a  hazy  but  pleasing  notion  that  it  was  the 
beginning  of  unlimited  holidays. 

All  this  idle  element  naturally  drifted  into  the  streets, 
and  collected  in  particular  force  on  the  green  and  about 
the  tavern.  By  afternoon  these  groups,  reinforced  by 
those  who  had  been  busy  at  home  during  the  morning, 
began  to  assume  the  dimensions  of  a  crowd.  The 
Widow  Bingham,  at  the  tavern,  had  deemed  it  expe 
dient  to  keep  on  the  right  side  of  the  lawless  element 
by  a  rather  free  extension  of  credit  at  the  bar,  and 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  hilarity,  which,  together  with 
the  atmosphere  of  excitement  created  by  the  recent 
stirring  events,  made  it  seem  quite  like  a  gala  occasion. 
Women  and  girls  were  there  in  considerable  numbers, 
the  latter  wearing  their  gayest  ribbons,  and  walking 
about  in  groups  together,  or  listening  to  their  sweet 
hearts,  as  each  explained  to  a  credulous  auditor  how 
yesterday's  great  events  had  hinged  entirely  on  the 
narrator's  individual  presence  and  personal  prowess. 

Some  of  the  youths  on  the  preceding  night  had  cut  a 
tall  sapling  and  set  it  in  the  middle  of  the  green,  in 
front  of  the  tavern.  On  the  top  of  this  had  been  fixed 
the  cocked  hat  of  Justice  Goodrich,  brought  as  a  trophy 
from  Great  Barrington.  This  was  the  center  of  inter 
est,  the  focus  of  the  crowd,  a  visible,  palpable  proof  of 
the  people's  victory  over  the  courts,  which  was  the 
source  of  inextinguishable  hilarity.  It  was  evident, 
indeed,  from  the  conversation  of  the  children,  that 
there  existed  in  the  minds  of  those  of  tender  years 
some  confusion  as  to  the  previous  ownership  of  the 
hat,  and  the  circumstances  connected  with  its  acquisi 
tion  by  the  people.  Some  said  that  it  was  Burgoyne's 
hat,  and  others  that  it  was  the  hat  of  King  George  him 
self  ;  while  the  affair  of  the  day  before  at  Great  Barring- 


134  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

ton  was  variously  represented  as  a  victory  over  the 
red-coats,  the  Indians,  and  the  tories.  But,  whatever 
might  be  the  differences  of  opinion  on  these  minor 
points,  the  children  were  noisily  agreed  that  there  was 
something  to  be  exceedingly  joyful  about. 

Next  to  the  hat  two  uncouth-looking  machines  which 
stood  on  the  green  near  the  stocks  were  the  centers  of 
attention.  They  were  wooden  structures,  somewhat  re 
sembling  saw-horses.  Beside  each  were  several  boards, 
and  close  inspection  would  have  shown  that  both  the 
surface  of  the  horses  and  one  side  of  these  boards  were 
well  smeared  with  rosin.  These  were  the  horse-fiddles, 
contrived  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  wakefulness  by 
night  on  the  part  of  the  silk-stockings.  Given  plenty 
of  rosin,  and  a  dozen  stout  fellows  to  each  fiddle,  draw 
ing  the  boards  to  and  fro  across  the  backs  of  the  horses, 
pressing  on  hard,  and  the  resulting  shrieks  were  some 
thing  only  to  be  imagined  with  the  fingers  in  the 
ears.  The  concert  given  to  Squire  Woodbridge  the 
night  previous  had  been  an  extemporized  affair,  with 
only  one  horse-fiddle  and  insufficient  support  from 
other  instruments.  To  judge  from  the  conversation  of 
the  men  and  boys  standing  around,  it  was  intended  to 
night  to  give  the  Squire  a  demonstration  which  should 
quite  compensate  him  for  the  unsatisfactory  nature  of 
the  former  entertainment  and  leave  him  in  no  sort  of 
doubt  as  to  the  sentiments  of  the  people  toward  the 
magistracy  and  silk-stockings  in  general,  and  himself 
in  particular.  A  large  collection  of  tin  pans  had  been 
made,  and  the  pumpkin  vines  of  the  vicinity  had  been 
dismantled  for  the  construction  of  pumpkin-stalk  trom 
bones,  provided  with  which  some  hundreds  of  small 
boys  were  to  be  in  attendance. 

Although  the  loud  guffaws  which  from  time  to  time 


A  Fair  Suppliant  135 

were  heard  from  the  group  of  men  and  hobbledehoys 
about  the  horse-fiddles  on  the  green  were  evidence 
that  the  projected  entertainment  was  not  without 
comical  features,  as  they  looked  at  it,  the  aspect  of  the 
affair  as  viewed  by  other  eyes  was  decidedly  tragical. 
Mrs.  Woodbridge  had  long  been  sinking  with  consump 
tion,  and  the  uproar  and  excitement  of  the  preceding 
night  had  left  her  in  a  condition  so  prostrated  that  Doc 
tor  Partridge  had  been  called  in.  During  the  latter  part 
of  her  aunt's  sickness  Desire  Edwards  had  made  a  prac 
tice  of  running  into  her  uncle  Woodbridge's  many  times 
a  day  to  give  a  sort  of  oversight  to  the  housekeeping, 
a  department  in  which  she  was  decidedly  more  profi 
cient  than  damsels  of  this  day  of  much  less  aristocratic 
pretensions  find  it  consistent  with  their  dignity  to  be. 
The  doctor  and  Desire  were  at  this  moment  in  the  liv 
ing-room,  inspecting  through  the  closed  shutters  the 
preparations  on  the  green  for  the  demonstration  of  the 
evening. 

"  Another  such  night  will  kill  her,  won't  it,  doctor? " 

"I  could  not  answer  for  the  consequences,"  replied 
the  doctor,  gravely.  "  I  could  scarcely  hazard  giving 
her  laudanum  enough  to  carry  her  through  such  a 
racket,  and  without  sleep  she  cannot  live  another 
day." 

"What  shall  we  do?  What  shall  we  do?  Oh,  poor 
aunt  Lucy!  The  brutes!  the  brutes!  Look  at  them 
over  there,  laughing  their  great  horse  laughs.  I  never 
liked  to  see  them  whipped  before,  when  the  constable 
whipped  them,  but  oh,  I  shall  like  to  after  this!  I 
should  like  to  see  them  whipped  till  the  blood  ran 
down,"  cried  the  girl,  tears  of  mingled  grief  and  anger 
filling  her  flashing  eyes. 

"  I  don't  know  when  you  are  likely  to  have  the  op- 


136  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

portunity,"  said  the  doctor,  dryly.  "At  present  they 
have  the  upper  hand  in  town,  and  seem  very  likely  to 
keep  it.  We  may  thank  our  stars  if  the  idea  of  whip 
ping  some  of  us  does  not  occur  to  them." 

"  My  father  fears  that  they  will  plunder  the  store  and 
perhaps  murder  us,  unless  help  comes  soon." 

"There  is  no  help  to  come,"  said  the  doctor.  "The 
militia  are  all  in  the  mob." 

"  But  is  there  nothing  we  can  do?  Must  we  let  them 
murder  my  aunt  before  our  eyes?  " 

"Perhaps,"  said  the  doctor,  "if  your  uncle  were  to 
go  out  to  the  mob  this  evening,  and  entreat  them 
civilly,  and  beg  them  to  desist  by  reason  of  your  aunt's 
illness,  they  would  listen  to  him." 

"Doctor!  Doctor!  you  don't  know  my  uncle,"  cried 
Desire.  "  He  would  sooner  have  aunt  Lucy  die,  and 
die  himself,  and  have  us  all  killed,  than  stoop  to  ask  a 
favor  of  the  rabble. " 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  hard  for  him,"  said  the  doc 
tor,  "  and  yet  to  save  your  aunt's  life  maybe " 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  bear  to  have  him  do  it,"  interrupted 
Desire.  "Poor  uncle!  I'd  rather  go  out  to  the  mob 
myself  than  have  uncle  Jahleel  go.  It  would  kill  him. 
He  is  so  proud." 

The  doctor  walked  across  the  room  two  or  three 
times,  with  knitted  brow,  then  paused  and  looked  with 
a  certain  critical  admiration  at  the  face  of  the  girl,  to 
which  excitement  had  lent  an  unusual  brilliance. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  he  said,  "the  only  way  I  see  of 
securing  a  quiet  night  to  your  aunt.  Just  go  yourself 
and  see  this  Hamlin,  who  is  the  captain  of  the  mob,  and 
make  your  petition  to  him.  I  had  words  with  him  this 
morning.  He  is  a  well-seeming  fellow  enough,  and 
has  a  bold  way  of  speech  that  liked  me  well,  i'  faith, 


A  Fair  Suppliant  137 

though  no  doubt  he's  a  great  rascal  and  well  deserves  a 
hanging." 

He  paused,  for  Desire  was  confronting  him  with  a 
look  that  was  a  peremptory  interruption.  Her  eyes 
were  flashing,  her  cheeks  mantled  with  indignant  color, 
and  the  delicate  nostrils  were  distended  with  scorn. 

"  Me,  Desire  Edwards,  sue  for  favors  from  this  low 
fellow!  You  forget  yourself  strangely,  Doctor  Par 
tridge." 

The  doctor  took  his  hat  from  the  table  and  bowed 
low. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Desire.  Possibly  your 
aunt  may  live  through  the  night,  after  all,"  and  he 
went  out  of  the  house  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

Desire  was  still  standing  in  the  same  attitude  when  a 
faint  voice  caught  her  ear,  and  stepping  to  a  door  she 
opened  it,  and  asked  gently : 

"  What  is  it,  aunt  Lucy? " 

"Your  uncle  hasn't  gone  out,  has  he?"  asked  Mrs. 
Woodbridge,  feebly. 

"No,  he's  in  his  study  walking  to  and  fro,  as  he's 
been  all  day,  you  know. " 

"  He  mustn't  go  out.  I  was  afraid  he  had  gone.  Tell 
him  I  beg  he  will  not  go  out.  The  mob  will  kill  him." 

"  I  don't  think  he  will  go,  aunt." 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  make  that  terrible  noise 
again  to-night? " 

"  I — I  don't  know.     I'm  afraid  so,  aunt  Lucy. " 

"Oh,  dear! "  sighed  the  invalid,  with  a  moan  of  ex 
haustion,  "  it  doesn't  seem  as  if  I  could  live  through  it 
again,  I'm  so  weak  and  so  tired.  You  can't  think,  dear, 
how  tired  I  am. " 

Desire  went  into  the  room  and  shook  up  the  pillows, 
soothing  the  sick  woman  with  some  little  cares,  and  then 


138  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

came  out  and  shut  the  door.  Her  wide-brimmed  hat  of 
fine  Leghorn  straw,  with  a  blue  ostrich  plume  curled 
around  the  crown,  and  a  light  cashmere  shawl  lay  on 
the  table.  Perching  the  hat  a  trifle  on  one  side  upon 
her  dark  brown  curls,  which  were  tied  simply  with  a 
ribbon  behind,  according  to  the  style  of  the  day,  she 
threw  the  shawl  about  her  shoulders,  and  knocked  at 
the  door  of  her  uncle's  study,  which  also  opened  into 
the  living-room,  and  was  the  apartment  in  which  he 
held  court,  when  acting  as  magistrate.  In  response 
to  the  knock  the  Squire  opened  the  door.  He  looked 
as  if  he  had  had  a  severe  illness,  so  deeply  had  the 
marks  of  chagrin  and  despite  impressed  themselves 
upon  his  face  in  the  past  two  days. 

"  I'm  going  out  for  a  little  while,"  said  Desire,  "and 
you  will  go  to  aunt  Lucy  if  she  calls,  won't  you? " 

Her  uncle  nodded  and  resumed  his  walking  to  and 
fro,  and  Desire,  stepping  out  of  the  house  by  a  back 
way,  went  by  a  path  across  the  fields,  toward  Elnathan 
Hamlin's  house. 

The  Hamlin  house,  like  the  houses  of  most  of  the 
poorer  class  of  people,  had  but  two  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor,  a  small  bedroom  and  a  great  kitchen,  in 
which  the  family  lived,  worked,  cooked,  ate,  and  re 
ceived  company.  There  were  two  doors  opening  into 
the  kitchen  from  without,  the  front  door  and  the  back 
door.  Presently  upon  the  front  door  there  came  a  light 
tap.  Usually  callers  upon  the  Hamlins  simply  pulled 
the  latch-string  and  walked  in.  Nobody  tapped  except 
the  sheriff,  the  constable,  the  tax  collector,  and  the 
parson,  and  the  calls  of  the  latter  had  been  rare  since 
the  family  fortunes,  never  other  than  humble,  had  been 
going  from  bad  to  worse.  So  that  it  was  not  without 
some  trepidation,  which  was  shared  by  the  family,  that 


A  Fair  Suppliant  1 39 

old  Elnathan  now  rose  from  his  seat  by  the  chimney 
corner  and  went  and  opened  the  door.  A  clear,  musi 
cal  voice,  with  that  effect  of  distinctness  without  loud- 
ness  which  marks  the  cultured  class,  was  heard  by 
those  within,  asking: 

"  Is  Captain  Hamlin  in  the  house?  " 

"  Do  ye  mean  Perez?  "  parleyed  Elnathan. 

"Yes." 

"  I  b'lieve  he's  somewheres  'raound.  He's  aout  doin' 
up  the  chores,  I  guess.  Did  ye  want  ter  see  him?  " 

"If  you  please." 

"Wai,  come  in,  won't  ye,  an'  sit  daown,  an'  I'll  go 
aout  arter  him,"  said  Elnathan,  backing  in  and  making 
way  for  the  guest  to  enter. 

"  It's  the  Edwards  gal,"  he  continued,  in  a  feebly  in 
troductory  manner,  as  Desire  entered. 

Mrs.  Hamlin  hastily  let  down  her  sleeves,  and 
glanced,  a  little  shamefacedly,  at  her  linsey-woolsey 
short  gown  and  coarse  petticoat,  and  then  about  the 
room,  which  was  in  some  disorder,  a  condition  not  to 
be  wondered  at  considering  the  sudden  increase  of 
her  household  cares.  But  it  was,  nevertheless,  with 
native  dignity  that  she  greeted  her  guest  and  set  her  a 
chair,  not  allowing  herself  to  be  put  out  by  the  rather 
fastidious  way  in  which  Desire  held  up  her  skirts. 

"Sit  down,"  said  Elnathan  hospitably,  "an*  be  kind 
o'  neighborly.  She  wants  to  see  Perez,  mother.  I 
dunno  what  'baout,  I'm  sure.  Ef  he's  a-milkin'  naow 
I  s'pose  I  kin  spell  him  so's  he  kin  come  in  an'  see  what 
she's  a- wan  tin'  of  him,"  and  the  old  man  shuffled  out  of 
the  back  door. 

Desire  sat  down,  calm  and  composed  outwardly,  but 
tingling  in  every  particle  of  her  body  with  a  revulsion 
of  taste,  which  almost  amounted  to  nausea,  at  the  vul- 


140  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

garity  of  the  atmosphere.  But  it  may  be  doubted  if 
her  dainty  attire,  her  air  of  distinction,  and  the  refined 
delicacy  of  her  flower-like  face  had  ever  appeared  to 
more  advantage  than  as  she  sat,  inwardly  fuming,  on 
that  rude  chair,  in  that  rude  room,  amid  its  more  or 
less  clownish  inmates.  Prudence  was  very  much  con 
fused  and  red  in  the  face.  As  housemaid  in  Squire 
Woodbridge's  family,  she  knew  Desire  well,  and  felt  a 
certain  sort  of  responsibility  for  her  on  that  account. 
She  did  not  know  whether  or  not  she  ought  to  go  and 
speak  to  her  now,  though  Desire  took  no  notice  of  her. 
Reuben  also  had  risen  from  his  chair  as  she  came  in, 
and  still  stood  awkwardly  leaning  on  the  back  of  it,  not 
seeming  sure  if  he  ought  to  sit  down  again  or  not. 
Fennell,  too  sick  to  care,  was  the  only  self-possessed 
person  in  the  room.  It  was  a  relief  to  all  when  the 
noise  of  feet  at  the  door  indicated  the  return  of  Elna- 
than  with  Perez,  but  the  running  explanations  of  the 
former,  which  his  senile  treble  made  quite  audible 
through  the  door,  were  less  reassuring. 

"  Can't  make  aout  what  in  time  she  wants  on  ye. 
Mebbe  she's  took  a  shine  to  ye,  he !  he !  I  dunno.  Ye 
used  ter  be  allers  arter  her  when  ye  wuz  a  young 
tin." 

"Hush,  father,  she'll  hear,"  said  Perez,  and  opening 
the  door  came  into  the  kitchen. 

Desire  arose  to  her  feet  as  he  did  so,  and  their  eyes 
met.  He  would  have  known  her  anywhere,  in  spite 
of  the  nine  years  since  he  had  seen  her.  The  small 
oval  of  the  sparkling  gipsy  face,  the  fine  features,  so 
mobile  and  piquant,  he  instantly  recognized  from  the 
portrait  painted  in  undying  colors  upon  his  youthful 
imagination. 

"Are  you  Captain  Hamlin?"  she  said. 


A  Fair  Suppliant  141 

"I  hope  you  remember  Perez  Hamlin,"he  answered. 

"  I  remember  the  name,"  she  replied,  coldly.  "  I  am 
told  that  you  command  the — the  men  " — she  was  going 
to  say  mob — "in  the  village." 

"I  believe  so,"  he  answered.  He  was  thinking  that 
those  red  lips  of  hers  had  once  kissed  his,  that  August 
morning  when  he  stood  on  the  green,  ready  to  march 
with  the  minute-men. 

"  My  aunt,  Madam  Woodbridge,  is  very  sick.  If 
your  men  make  a  noise  again  in  front  of  my  uncle's 
house,  she  will  die.  I  came  to — to  ask  " — she  had  to 
say  it — " you  to  prevent  it." 

"  I  will  prevent  it,"  said  Perez. 

Desire  dropped  an  almost  imperceptible  curtsey, 
raised  the  latch  of  the  door,  and  went  out. 

All  through  the  interview,  even  when  she  had  over 
heard  Elnathan's  confidences  to  Perez  at  the  door,  her 
cheeks  had  not  betrayed  her  by  a  trace  of  deeper 
color,  but  now  as  she  hurried  home  across  the  fields, 
they  burned  with  shame,  and  she  fairly  choked  to  think 
of  the  vulgar  familiarity  to  which  she  had  submitted, 
and  the  abject  attitude  she  had  assumed  to  this  farm 
er's  son.  She  remembered  well  enough  that  childish 
kiss,  and  saw  in  his  eyes  that  he  remembered  it.  This 
perception  had  added  the  last  touch  to  her  humiliation. 

But  Perez  went  out  and  wandered  into  the  wood- 
lot,  and  sat  down  on  a  fallen  tree,  staring  a  long  time 
into  vacancy  with  glowing  eyes.  He  had  dreamed  of 
Desire  a  thousand  times  during  his  long  absence  from 
home,  but  since  his  return,  so  vehement  had  been  the 
pressure  of  domestic  troubles,  so  rapid  the  rush  of 
events,  he  had  not  had  time  to  think  of  her  existence, 
up  to  the  moment  when  she  had  confronted  him  there 
in  the  kitchen,  with  a  beauty  at  once  the  same,  and  yet 


142  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

so  much  more  rare,  and  rich,  and  perfect,  than  that 
which  had  ruled  his  boyish  dreams. 

Presently  he  went  down  to  the  tavern.  The  crowd 
of  men  and  boys  on  the  green  received  him  with  al 
most  an  ovation.  Shaking  hands  right  and  left  with 
the  men,  he  went  on  to  the  tavern,  and  rinding  Abner 
smoking  on  the  bench  outside  the  door,  drew  him  aside 
and  asked  him  to  see  that  there  was  no  demonstration 
in  front  of  Squire  Woodbridge's  that  evening.  Abner 
grumbled  a  little. 

"  O'  course  I'm  sorry  for  the  woman,  if  she's  sick,  but 
they  never  showed  no  consideration  fer  our  feelin's,  an1 
I  don't  see  why  we  sh'd  be  so  darn  tender  o'  theirn. 
I  shouldn't  be  naow,  arter  they'd  treated  a  brother  o1 
mine  ez  they  hev  Reub.  But  yew  be  cap'n,  Perez,  an* 
it  shell  be  ez  yew  say.  The  boys  kin  try  their  riddles 
on  Squire  Edwards  instead. " 

"No.     Not  there,  Abner,"  said  Perez,  quickly. 

"  Why  not,  I  sh'd  like  ter  know?  His  wife  ain't  sick, 
be  she?" 

"No, — that  is,  I  don't  know,"  said  Perez,  his  face 
flushing  a  little  with  the  difficulty  of  thinking  at  once 
of  any  plausible  reason.  "You  see,"  he  finally  found 
words  to  say,  "  the  store  is  so  near  Squire  Woodbridge's, 
that  the  noise  might  disturb  Madam  Woodbridge." 

"  She  must  hev  dum  sharp  ears,  ef  she  kin  hear  much 
at  that  distance,"  observed  Abner,  "but  it  shell  be  as 
yew  say,  cap'n.  I  s'pose  ye've  nothin'  ag'in  our  givin' 
Sheriff  Seymour  a  little  mewsick." 

"As  much  as  you  please,  Abner." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  Praise  Meeting 

As  a  fever  awakes  to  virulent  activity  the  germs  of 
disease  in  the  body,  so  revolution  in  the  political  sys 
tem  develops  the  latent  elements  of  anarchy.  It  is  a 
test  of  the  condition  of  the  system.  The  same  politi 
cal  shock  which  throws  an  ill-constituted  and  unsound 
government  into  a  condition  of  chaos,  is  felt  in  a  politi 
cally  vigorous  and  healthful  commonwealth  as  only  a 
slight  disturbance  of  the  ordinary  functions.  The , 
promptness  with  which  the  village  relapsed  into  its  or 
dinary  mode  of  life  after  the  revolt  and  revolution  of 
Tuesday  was  striking  testimony  to  the  soundness  and 
vitality  which  a  democratic  form  of  government  and 
a  popular  sense  of  responsibility  impart  to  a  body 
politic.  On  Tuesday  the  armed  uprising  of  the  people 
had  taken  place ;  on  Wednesday  there  was  considerable 
effervescence  of  spirits,  though  no  violence ;  on  Thurs 
day  there  was  still  a  number  of  loutish  fellows  loafing 
about  the  streets,  wearing,  however,  an  appearance  of 
being  disappointed  that  there  was  no  more  excitement, 
and  no  prospect  of  anything  special  turning  up ;  Friday 
and  Saturday^  apparently  disgusted  at  finding  rebellion 
such  a  failure  in  elements  of  recreation,  these  had  gone 
back  to  their  farm-work  and  chores,  and  the  village  had 
returned  to  its  normal  quiet,  without  even  any  more 
serenades  to  the  silk-stockings  to  enliven  the  evenings. 

A  foreigner,  who  had  chanced  to  be  passing  through 


144  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

southern  Berkshire  at  this  time,  would  have  deemed  an 
informant  practising  on  his  credulity  who  should  have 
assured  him  that  everywhere  throughout  these  quiet 
and  industrious  communities  the  entire  governmental 
machinery  was  prostrate,  that  not  a  local  magistrate 
undertook  to  sit,  not  a  constable  ventured  to  attempt 
an  arrest,  not  a  sheriff  dared  to  serve  a  process  or  make 
an  execution,  or  a  tax-collector  distrain  for  taxes.  And 
yet  such  was  the  sober  truth,  for  Stockbridge  was  in  no 
respect  peculiarly  situated,  and  in  many  of  the  towns 
around,  especially  in  Sheffield,  Egremont,  Great  Bar- 
rington,  and  Sandisfield,  an  even  larger  proportion  of 
the  people  were  open  sympathizers  with  the  rebellion 
than  in  the  former  village. 

In  these  modern  days,  restaurants,  barrooms,  and 
saloons,  and  similar  places  of  resort,  are  chiefly 
thronged  on  Saturday  evening,  when  the  labors  of 
the  week  being  ended,  the  worker,  in  whatever  field, 
finds  himself  at  once  in  need  of  convivial  relaxation, 
and  disposed  thereto  by  the  exhilaration  of  a  prospec 
tive  holiday.  Necessarily,  however,  Saturday  evening 
could  not  be  thus  celebrated  in  a  community  which  re 
garded  it  in  the  light  of  holy  time,  and  accordingly  in 
Stockbridge,  as  elsewhere  in  New  England  at  that  day, 
Friday  and  Sunday  evenings  were  by  way  of  eminence 
the  convivial  occasions  of  the  week.  One  of  the  conse 
quences  of  this  arrangement  was  that  a  "  blue  "  Satur 
day  as  well  as  the  modern  "  blue  Monday  "  found  place 
in  the  workingman's  calendar.  But  the  voice  of  the 
temperance  lecturer  was  not  yet  heard  in  the  land,  and 
headaches  were  still  looked  upon  as  providential  mys 
teries. 

The  Friday  following  the  "  goings-on  at  Barrington," 
the  tavern  was  filled  by  about  the  same  crowd  which 


A  Praise  Meeting  145 

had  been  present  the  Friday  evening  preceding,  and  of 
whose  conversation  on  that  occasion  some  account  has 
been  given.  But  the  temper  of  the  gathering  a  week 
before  had  been  one  of  gloomy  forebodings,  hopeless, 
and  well-nigh  desperate;  to-night,  it  was  jubilant. 

"  It's  the  Lord's  doin's,  an*  marvelous  in  our  eyes, 
an1  that's  all  I  kin  say  about  it,"  declared  Israel  Good 
rich,  his  rosy  face  beaming  with  benevolent  satisfaction 
beneath  its  crown  of  white  hair.  "  Jest  think  where 
we  wuz  a  week  ago,  an*  where  we  be  naow.  Who'd  ha1 
thought  it?  If  one  on  ye  had  told  me  last  Friday 
night,  what  wuz  a-comin'  'raound  inside  of  a  week,  I 
should  ha'  said  he  wuz  stark  starin'  mad." 

"  We  might  ha'  knowed  somethin'  wuz  a-goin'  ter 
happen,"  said  Abner.  "It's  allers  darkest  jest  afore 
dawn,  an'  't  was  dark  'nough  ter  cut  last  Friday." 

"  I  declar'  for  't,"  said  Peleg  Bidwell,  " seem's  though 
I  never  did  feel  quite  so  daown-hearted  like  ez  I  did  last 
Friday  night,  when  we  wuz  a-talkin'  it  over.  I'd  hed 
a  bad  day  on't.  Sol  Gleason  'd  been  a-sassin'  of  me, 
an'  I  dassn't  say  a  word  fer  fear  he'd  send  me  to  jail, 
fer  owin'  him,  an'  when  I  got  home  she  wuz  a-cryin',  fer 
Gleason  'd  been  there  an'  I  dunno  what  he'd  said  ter  her ; 
an'  then  Collector  Williams  he  told  me  he'd  hev  ter  sell 
the  furniture  fer  taxes,  an'  by  gracious !  takin'  the  hull 
together  seemed  's  though  there  warn't  no  place  fer  a 
poor  man  in  this  ere  world,  an'  I  didn't  keer  ef  I  lived 
much  longer  or  not.  An'  naow !  Wai,  there  ain't  no 
use  o*  tellin'  ye  what  ye  know.  I  see  Gleason  on  the 
street  yis'day,  an'  he  looked  like  a  whipped  cur.  He 
hed  his  tail  atween  his  legs,  I  tell  ye.  I  reckon  he 
thought  I  wuz  goin*  ter  lick  him.  It  wuz  *  Good  morn- 
in',  Peleg,'  ez  sweet's  sugar,  an*  he  didn't  hev  nothin* 
ter  say  'baout  what  I  wuz  a-owin1  him;  no,  nor  he 
10 


146  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

didn't  ask  me  nothin'  'baout  why  I  hedn't  been  ter 
work  fer  him  sence  Tewsday." 

After  the  laughter  over  Peleg's  description  had  sub 
sided,  he  added,  with  a  grin : 

"  Collector  Williams  he  hain't  thought  ter  call  'baout 
them  taxes  sence  Tewsday,  nuther.  Hev  any  on  ye 
seen  nothin'  on  him? " 

"He  hain't  skurcely  been  out  o'  his  haouse,"  said 
Obadiah  Weeks.  "  I  only  see  him  once.  It  was  arter 
dark,  an'  he  wuz  a-slippin'  over  t'  the  store  arter  his 
tod." 

"  I  guess  it  must  be  considabul  like  a  funeral  over  't 
the  store,  nights,"  observed  Abner,  grinning.  "I  sh'd 
like  ter  peek  in  an'  see  'em  a-talkin'  on  it  over.  Wai, 
turn  about's  fair  play.  They  don't  feel  no  wuss  nor 
we  did." 

"Won't  there  be  no  more  collectin'  taxes?"  inquired 
Laban  Jones. 

"  I  guess  there  won't  be  much  more  collectin'  'raound 
here  'nless  the  collector  hez  a  couple  o'  rigiments  o' 
milishy  ter  help  him  dew  it,"  replied  Abner. 

"I  dunno  'baout  that,"  said  Ezra  Phelps.  "There's 
more'n  one  way  ter  skin  a  cat." 

"There  ain't  no  way  o'  skinnin'  this  ere  cat  'cept 
with  bagonets,"  said  Abner,  decidedly,  and  a  general 
murmur  expressed  the  opinion  that,  so  far  as  the  pres 
ent  company  was  concerned,  government  would  have 
to  practise  some  preliminary  phlebotomy  on  their  per 
sons  before  they  would  submit  to  any  further  bleeding 
of  their  purses  by  the  tax  collector.  Nothing  pleased 
Ezra  more  than  to  find  himself  placed  thus  argumenta- 
tively  at  bay,  with  the  entire  company  against  him,  and 
then  discomfit  them  all  at  a  stroke.  The  general  expres 
sion  of  dissent  with  which  his  previous  remark  was  re- 


A  Praise  Meeting  147 

ceived  seemed  actually  to  please  him.  He  stood  looking 
at  Abner  for  a  moment,  without  speaking,  a  complacent 
smile  just  curving  his  lips,  and  the  sparkle  of  the  intel 
lectual  combatant  in  his  eye.  To  persons  of  Ezra's  dis 
putatious  and  speculative  temper,  such  moments,  in 
which  they  gloat  over  their  victim  as  he  stands  within 
the  very  jaws  of  the  logic  trap  which  they  are  about  to 
spring,  are  no  doubt  the  most  delightful  of  their  life. 

"Don't  ye  be  in  sech  a  hurry,  Abner,"  he  finally 
ejaculated.  "  Would  ye  mind  payin'  yer  taxes  ef  gov'- 
ment  giv'  ye  the  money  ter  pay  'em  with?" 

"  No.     In  course  I  wouldn't. " 

"  Ezackly.  'Course  ye  wouldn't.  Ye'd  be  dum  un- 
reas'nable  ef  ye  did.  Wai,  naow  I  expect  that  air's 
jest  what  gov'ment's  goin'  ter  dew,  ez  soon  ez  it  gits 
the  news  from  Northampton  and  Barrington.  It's  go- 
in'  ter  print  a  stack  o'  bills  an'  git  'em  inter  circula 
tion,  an'  then  we'll  all  on  us  hev  suthin'  ter  pay  fer 
taxes,  an'  not  mind  it  a  bit ;  yis,  an'  pay  all  the  debts 
that's  a-owin',  tew." 

"I  hain't  no  objection  ter  that,"  admitted  Abner, 
frankly. 

"Of  course  ye  hain't,"  said  Ezra.  "Nobody  hain't. 
Ye  see  ye  spoke  tew  quick,  Abner.  All  the  kentry 
wants  is  bills,  a  hull  slew  on  'em,  lots  on  'em,  an'  then 
the  courts  kin  go  on,  an'  debts  an'  taxes  kin  be  paid, 
an'  everything  '11  be  all  right.  I  ain't  one  o'  them  ez 
goes  ag'in  payin'  debts  an'  taxes.  I  say,  let  'em  be 
paid,  every  shillin',  only  let  gov'ment  print  'nough  bills 
fer  folks  ter  pay  'em  with." 

"  I  reckon  a  couple  o'  wagon  loads  o'  new  bills  would 
pay  off  every  mortgage  an'  most  o'  the  debts,  in  Berk 
shire,"  said  Israel,  reflectively. 

"Sartinly,  sartinly,"  exclaimed  Ezra.     "That  would 


148  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

be  plenty.  It  don't  cost  nothin'  ter  print  'em,  an'  they'd 
pacify  this  ere  caounty  a  dum  sight  quicker  than  any 
two  rigiments,  or  any  ten,  either." 

"That  air's  what  I  believe  in,"  said  Israel,  beaming, 
"peaceable  ways  o'  settlin'  the  trouble;  bills  instid 
o'  bagonets.  The  beauty  on't  so  far  is  that  there 
hain't  been  no  sheddin'  o'  blood,  nor  no  vi'lence  ter 
speak  of,  'ceptin'  a  leetle  shovin'  daown  ter  Barring- 
ton,  an'  I  hope  there  won't  be." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Paul  Hubbard. 
"  Not  that  I  want  to  see  any  killing,  but  there  are  some 
silk-stockings  in  this  town  that  would  look  mighty  well 
sticking  through  the  stocks,  and  there  are  some  white 
skins  that  ought  to  know  how  a  whip  feels,  just  so  that 
the  men  that  own  them  might  see  how  the  medicine 
tastes  that  they've  been  giving  us  so  many  years. " 

There  was  a  general  murmur  indicating  approval  of 
this  sentiment,  and  several  ejaculations  of  "That's  so," 
were  heard,  but  Israel  said,  as  he  patted  Hubbard  pa 
ternally  on  the  back : 

"  Let  bygones  be  bygones,  Paul.  Them  things  be 
all  over  naow,  an'  I  guess  there  won't  be  no  more 
abusin'  of  poor  folks.  The  lion  an'  the  lamb  be  a-go- 
in'  ter  lie  down  together  arter  this,  'cordin'  ter  scrip- 
ter.  I  declare  it  seems  jest  like  the  good  old  time  'long 
from  'seventy-four  to  'eighty  when  there  warn't  no 
courts  in  Berkshire.  When  I  wuz  a-tellin'  ye  'baout 
them  times  t'other  night,  I  swow  I  didn't  think  ye'd 
ever  hev  a  chance  to  see  'em  fer  yerselves,  leastways, 
not  till  ye  got  ter  Heaven,  an'  I  guess  that's  a  slim 
chance  with  most  on  ye.  Jest  think  on  't,  boys. 
There  ain't  been  nary  sheriff's  sale  nor  a  man  took  ter 
jail  this  hull  week." 

"  Iry  Seymour  wuz  a-goin'  ter  sell  aout   Elnathan 


A  Praise  Meeting  149 

Hamlin  this  week,  but  somehow  he  hain't  got  tew  it," 
said  Abner,  dryly.  "  I  kind  o'  think  he  heard  some 
news  from  Harrington  'baout  Tuesday." 

"  Iry  might's  well  give  up  his  commission  ez  depity 
sheriff,  an'  try  ter  git  inter  some  honest  trade,"  re 
marked  Israel. 

"  Where  does  Squire  Woodbridge  keep  hisself  these 
days?  I  hain't  seen  him  skurcely  this  week,"  inquired 
Ezra  Phelps. 

"  Yer  don't  gen'ally  see  much  of  a  rooster  the  week 
arter  another  rooster's  gin  him  a  darnation  lickin'  on 
his  own  dunghill,  an'  that's  what's  the  matter  with 
Squire,"  replied  Abner.  Shifting  his  quid  of  tobacco 
to  the  other  side  of  his  mouth  and  expectorating  across 
half  the  room  into  the  chimney-place  he  continued,  re 
flectively  : 

"  By  gosh !  I  don't  blame  him,  nuther.  It  must  come 
kind  o'  tough  fer  a  feller  ez  hez  lorded  it  over  Stock- 
bridge  f er  nigh  twenty  year  ter  git  put  daown  afore  the 
hull  village  the  way  Perez  put  him  daown  last  Tuesday. 
Ef  I  wuz  Squire,  I  shouldn't  never  want  ter  show  my 
self  ag'in  'raound  here." 

"I  be  kind  o'  sorry  fer  him,"  said  Israel  Goodrich. 
"  I  declare  for  't  if  I  ain't.  It  must  be  kind  o'  tough 
ter  git  took  daown  so,  specially  fer  sech  a  dreffle  proud 
man." 

"  I  hain't  sot  eyes  on  him  only  once  sence  Tewsday," 
said  Peleg.  "  He  looked  right  straight  through  me  ez 
if  he  didn't  see  nothin'.  He  didn't  seem  ter  notice 
nobody  ez  he  went  along  the  street." 

"He'd  notice  ye  quick  'nough  ef  he  could  put 
ye  in  the  stocks,"  observed  Abner,  grimly.  "I  tell 
yew,  he  ain't  forgot  one  on  us  that  went  daown  ter 
Barrington,  nor  one  on  us  ez  wuz  a-serenadin'  him 


150  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

t'other  night.  Yew  jest  let  Squire  git  his  grip  onto 
this  ere  taown  ag'in  ez  he  used  ter  hev  it,  an*  the  con 
stable  an'  the  whippin'  post  won't  hev  no  rest  till  he's 
paid  off  his  grudge  ag'in  every  one  on  us.  An'  ef  yew 
dunno  that,  yew  dunno  Squire  Woodbridge." 

The  silence  which  followed  indicated  that  the  hear 
ers  did  know  the  Squire  well  enough  to  appreciate  the 
force  of  Abner's  remarks,  and  that  the  contingencies 
which  they  suggested  were  inducive  of  serious  re 
flections.  It  was  Jabez  Flint,  the  tory,  who  effected  a 
diversion  by  observing  dryly : 

"  Yas,  ef  Squire  gits  his  grip  ag'in,  some  on  us  will 
git  darnation  sore  backs ;  but  he's  lost  it,  an'  he  ain't 
a-goin'  ter  git  it  agin  ez  long  ez  we  fellers  keeps  ourn. 
Only  't  won't  dew  ter  hev  no  foolin' ;  't  ain't  no  child's 
play  we're  at." 

"  I  know  one  thing  dum  well,"  said  Obadiah  Weeks, 
"and  that  is  I  wouldn't  like  ter  be  in  Cap'n  Hamlin's 
shoes  ef  Squire  sh'd  git  top  ag'in.  Jehosaphat !  though, 
wouldn't  he  jest  go  fer  the  cap'n?  I  guess  he'd  give 
him  ten  lashes  every  day  fer  a  month,  an'  make  him 
set  in  the  stocks  with  pepper  'n  salt  rubbed  in  his  back 
'tween  times,  an'  then  hev  him  hung  ter  wind  up  with, 
an'  he  wouldn't  be  half  satisfied  then." 

"Warn't  that  the  gol-darndest  though,  'baout  that 
Edwards  gal  a-goin'  ter  ask  Perez  ter  git  the  mewsic 
stopped?  By  golly!  I  can't  git  over  that,"  exclaimed 
Peleg,  grinning  from  ear  to  ear.  "  I  was  a-lyin'  awake 
last  night  and  I  got  ter  thinkin'  'bout  it,  an'  I  begun 
snickering  so's  she  waked  up,  and  she  says,  *  Peleg/ 
says  she,  *  what  in  time  be  yew  a-snickerin'  at? '  and  I 
says  I  wuz  a-snickerin'  ter  think  o'  that  air  stuck-up 
leetle  gal  o'  Squire  Edwards  daown  on  her  knees  ter 
Perez,  a-cryin'  an  a-askin'  him  ef  he  wouldn't  please 


A   Praise  Meeting  151 

hev  the  racket  stopped.  Yew  said  she  wtiz  ontew  her 
knees,  didn't  ye,  Obadiah?  " 

"  Tell  us  all  about  it,  Obadiah.  We  want  ter  hear  it 
ag'in,"  was  the  general  demand. 

"Ye  see,  the  way  on't  wuz  this,"  said  Obadiah,  noth 
ing  loath.  "  She  come  in  all  a-cryin'  an7  scairt  like,  and 
Perez  he  wuz  there  an'  so  wuz  the  rest  o'  the  family,  an' 
the  fust  thing  she  does,  she  gits  down  on  the  floor  inter 
the  sand  with  a  new  silk  gown  she  hed  on,  and  asks 
Perez  to  hev  the  hoss-fiddles  stopped.  An'  he  said  fust 
as  haow  he  wouldn't,  said  'twas  good  'nough  f er  the  silk- 
stockin's,  and  he  p'inted  ter  Reub  an'  says  for  her  ter 
see  what  they'd  done  ter  his  family.  But  she  cried  an' 
took  on,  an'  says  ez  haow  she  wouldn't  git  up  'nless 
he'd  stop  the  hoss-fiddles,  an'  so  he  hed  ter  give  in,  an* 
that's  all  I  know  about  it." 

"Ye  see  Obadiah  knows  all  'baout  it,"  said  Abner. 
"  He  keeps  comp'ny  with  the  Fennell  gal,  as  is  to  the 
Hamlins. '  He  got  it  straight's  a  string,  didn't  ye,  Oba 
diah?" 

"Yas,"  said  Obadiah,  "it's  all  jest  so.  There  ain't 
no  mistake. " 

No  incident  of  the  insurrection  had  taken  such  hold 
on  the  popular  imagination  as  the  appeal  of  Desire 
Edwards  to  Perez  for  protection.  It  was  immensely 
flattering  to  the  vanity  of  the  mob,  as  typifying  the 
state  of  terror  to  which  the  aristocrats  had  been  re 
duced,  and  all  the  louts  in  town  felt  an  inch  taller  by 
reason  of  it,  and  walked  with  an  additional  swagger. 
The  demand  for  the  details  of  the  scene  between  Perez 
and  Desire  was  insatiable,  and  Obadiah  was  called  on 
twenty  times  a  day  to  relate  to  gaping,  grinning  audi 
ences  just  how  she  looked,  what  she  did  and  said,  and 
what  Perez  said.  The  fact  that  Obadiah's  positive  in- 


152  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

formation  on  the  subject  was  limited  to  a  few  words 
that  Prudence  had  dropped,  made  it  necessary  for  him 
to  depend  largely  on  his  imagination  to  satisfy  the  de 
mands  of  his  auditors,  which  accounts  for  the  slight 
discrepancy  between  the  actual  facts  as  known  to  the 
reader  and  the  popular  version.  After  everybody  had 
laughed  and  cracked  his  joke  over  Obadiah's  last  repe 
tition  of  the  anecdote,  Peleg  observed, 

"  I  dunno's  ez  a  feller  kin  blame  Perez  fer  givin'  in 
tew  her.  The  gal's  darned  han'some,  though  she  be 
most  too  black-complected." 

"She  ain't  none  tew  black,  not  to  my  thinkm',"  said 
the  Widow  Bingham,  looking  up  from  her  knitting  as 
she  sat  behind  the  bar, — the  widow  herself  was  a  buxom 
brunette — "  but  I  never  did  see  anybuddy  kerry  their 
nose  quite  so  high  in  all  my  born  days.  She  don't  pay 
no  more  Mention  to  common  folks  'n  if  they  wuz  dirt 
under  her  feet." 

"Where's  Meshech  Little  ter-night?"  inquired 
Israel  Goodrich,  not  so  much  interested  as  the  younger 
men  in  the  points  of  young  women. 

"  He's  been  drunk  all  day,"  said  Obadiah,  who  always 
knew  everything  that  was  going  on. 

"  Where'd  he  git  the  money? "  asked  some  one. 

"  Meshech  don't  need  no  money  ter  git  drunk,"  said 
Abner.  "  He's  got  a  thirst  ontew  him  as'll  draw  liquor 
aout  of  a  cask  a  rod  off,  an'  the  bung  in,  jest  like  the 
clouds  draws  water  on  a  hot  day.  He  don't  need  no 
money,  Meshech  don't,  tew  git  soaked." 

"He  hed  some,  he  hed  a  shillin',  howsumever,"  said 
Obadiah.  "  Deacon  Nash  give  it  ter  him  fer  pitchin' 
rowen." 

"I  hain't  been  so  tickled  in  ten  year,"  said  Israel, 
*'  ez  I  wuz  when  deacon  come  'raound  to-day  a-offerin' 


A  Praise  Meeting  153 

a  shillin'  lawful  ter  the  fellers  ter  git  in  his  rowen  fer 
him.  It  must  hev  been  like  pullin'  teeth  fer  deacon  ter 
pay  aout  cash  fer  work,  seein'  ez  he's  made  his  debtors 
dew  all  his  f armin'  fer  him  this  five  year ;  but  he  hed 
ter  come  tew  't,  fer  his  rowen  wuz  a-spilin',  an'  nary 
one  o'  his  debtors  would  lift  a  finger  'thout  bein'  paid 
for  't." 

"  That  air  shillin'  o'  Meshech's  is  the  fust  money  o' 
his'n  I've  seen  fer  flip  in  more'n  a  year,"  said  the  Widow 
Bingham,  "  an'  there  be  them,  not  a  thousand  mile  from 
here,  nuther,  ez  I  could  say  the  same  on,  more  shame 
to  'em  for  't,  an'  I  a  lone  widder. " 

The  line  of  remark  adopted  by  the  widow  appeared 
to  exert  a  depressing  influence  on  the  spirits  of  the 
company,  and  this,  together  with  the  information 
volunteered  by  Obadiah  that  it  was  "arter  nine,"  pres 
ently  caused  a  general  break-up. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
Perez  Goes  to  Meeting 

THE  very  next  day,  as  Squire  Edwards  and  his  fam 
ily  were  sitting  down  to  dinner,  the  eldest  son,  Jonathan, 
a  fine  young  fellow  of  sixteen,  came  in  late  with  a 
blacked  eye  and  torn  clothes. 

"My  son,"  said  Squire  Edwards,  sternly,  "why  do 
you  come  to  the  table  in  such  a  condition?  What  have 
you  been  doing? " 

"I've  been  fighting  Obadiah  Weeks,  sir,  and  I 
licked  him,  too." 

"And  I  shall  whip  you,  sir,  and  soundly,"  said  his 
father,  with  the  Jove-like  frown  of  the  eighteenth- 
century  parent.  "  What  have  I  told  you  about  fight 
ing?  Go  to  your  room,  and  wait  for  me  there.  You 
will  have  no  dinner." 

The  boy  turned  on  his  heel  without  a  word,  and  went 
out  and  up  to  his  room.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon, 
Squire  Edwards  was  as  good  as  his  word.  When  he 
had  come  down  stairs,  after  the  discharge  of  his  parent 
al  responsibilities,  and  gone  into  the  store,  Desire 
slipped  up  to  Jonathan's  room  with  a  substantial 
luncheon  under  her  apron.  He  was  her  favorite 
brother,  and  it  was  her  habit  thus  surreptitiously  to 
temper  justice  with  mercy  on  occasions  like  the  pres 
ent.  The  lively  satisfaction  with  which  the  youth 
hailed  her  appearance  gave  ground  to  the  suspicion 


Perez  Goes  to  Meeting  155 

that  an  empty  stomach  had  been  causing  him  more  dis 
comfort  than  a  reproving  conscience.  As  Desire  was 
arranging  the  viands  on  the  table  she  expressed  a  hope 
that  the  paternal  correction  had  not  been  more  painful 
than  usual.  The  boy  began  to  grin. 

"Don't  you  fret  about  father's  lickings,"  he  said. 
"  I'd  just  as  lief  he'd  lick  me  all  day  if  he'll  give  me  a 
couple  of  minutes  to  get  ready  in.  How  many  pairs  of 
trousers  do  you  suppose  I've  got  on? " 

"  One,  of  course. " 

"Four,"  replied  Jonathan,  laying  one  forefinger  by 
the  side  of  his  nose  and  winking  at  his  sister.  "  I  was 
sort  of  sorry  for  father,  he  got  so  tired  trying  to  make 
me  cry.  Jiminy!  though,  that  veal  pie  looks  good. 
I  should  have  hated  to  lose  that.  You  were  real  good 
to  fetch  it  up. 

"'T  was  only  fair,  though,  this  time,"  he  continued, 
with  his  mouth  full,  "  for  't  was  on  your  account  I  got 
to  fighting." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  Desire  asked. 

"  Why,  Obadiah's  been  telling  the  biggest  set  of  lies 
about  you  I  ever  heard  of.  He's  been  telling  them  all 
over  town.  He  said  you  went  over  to  Elnathan  Ham- 
lin's,  Wednesday,  and  got  down  on  your  knees  to  that 
Captain  Hamlin,  so's  to  get  him  not  to  have  any  more 
of  those  horse-fiddles  in  front  of  uncle's  and  our  houses. 
You'd  better  believe  I  walloped  him  well,  if  he  is  bigger 
than  I  am." 

Jonathan,  devoting  himself  to  his  luncheon,  had  not 
observed  his  sister's  face  during  this  recital,  but  now 
he  said,  glancing  up : 

"  What  on  earth  do  you  suppose  put  such  a  lie  into 
his  head? " 

"  It  isn  t  all  a  lie,  Jonathan." 


156  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

The  boy  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  and  stared  at 
her  aghast. 

"You  don't  mean  you  were  over  there?"  he  ex 
claimed. 

Desire's  face  was  crimson  to  the  roots  of  her  hair. 
She  bowed  her  head. 

"  Wh-a-a-t!  "  cried  Jonathan,  in  a  tone  of  utter  dis 
gust,  tempered  only  by  a  remnant  of  incredulity. 

"  I  didn't  go  on  my  knees  to  him,"  said  Desire  faint- 

iy. 

"  Oh,  you  didn't,  didn't  you?  I  believe  you  did,"  said 
the  boy  slowly,  with  an  accent  of  ineffable  scorn,  rising 
to  his  feet  and  drawing  away  from  his  sister  as  she 
seemed  about  to  approach  him. 

Before  the  lad  of  sixteen,  his  elder  sister,  who  had 
carried  him  in  her  arms  as  a  baby  and  had  been  his 
teacher  as  a  boy,  stood  like  a  culprit,  quite  abject. 
Finally  she  said: 

"  I  didn't  do  it  for  myself.  I  did  it  for  aunt  Lucy's 
sake.  The  doctor  said  it  would  kill  her  if  she  was  kept 
awake  another  night,  and  there  was  no  other  way  to  stop 
the  mob.  And  so  I  did  it." 

"  Was  that  how  it  was?  "  said  the  boy,  evidently  stag 
gered  by  this  unexpected  plea,  and  seeming  quite  at 
loss  what  to  say. 

"Yes,"  said  Desire,  rallying  a  little.  "You  might 
have  known  it.  Do  you  think  I'd  do  it  for  any  other 
reason?  I  couldn't  see  aunt  Lucy  die,  could  I?" 

"  No-o,  I  suppose  not, "replied  Jonathan  slowly,  as  if 
he  were  not  quite  sure.  His  face  wore  a  puzzled  ex 
pression,  the  problem  offered  by  this  conflict  of  ethical 
obligations  with  caste  sentiment  being  evidently  too 
much  for  his  boyish  intellect.  Evidently  he  had 
not  inherited  his  grandfather  Edwards's  metaphysical 


Perez  Goes  to  Meeting  157 

faculty.  Finally,  with  an  air  of  being  entirely  posed 
and  losing  interest  in  the  subject,  he  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  his  bed  and  abruptly  closed  the  interview  by 
observing, 

"  I'm  going  to  take  off  some  of  these  trousers.  They 
are  too  hot."  Desire  discreetly  departed. 

The  only  point  in  the  observance  of  Sunday  by  the 
forefathers  of  New  England  which  is  still  generally 
practised  in  these  degenerate  days, — namely,  the  duty  of 
sleeping  later  than  usual  on  that  morning, — was  trans 
gressed  in  at  least  one  Stockbridge  household  on  the 
Lord's  Day  following.  Captain  Perez  Hamlin  was  up 
betimes  and  busy  about  house  and  barns.  Since  he 
had  returned  home  he  had  taken  the  responsibility  of 
all  the  chores  about  the  place  from  the  enfeebled 
shoulders  of  his  father,  besides  supplying  the  place  of 
nurse  to  the  invalids.  This  morning  he  had  risen 
earlier  than  usual,  because  he  wanted  to  finish  all  the 
work  before  time  for  meeting. 

It  would  have  been  easy  for  any  one  whose  eye  had 
followed  him  at  his  work  to  see  that  his  mind  was  pre 
occupied.  Now  he  would  walk  about  briskly,  with 
head  in  the  air,  whistling  as  he  went,  or  talking  to  the 
horse  and  cow,  and  anon  bursting  out  laughing  at  his 
own  absent-mindedness,  as  he  found  he  had  given  the 
horse  the  cow's  food,  or  put  the  meal  into  the  water 
bucket.  And  again,  you  would  certainly  have  thought 
that  he  was  fishing  for  the  frogs  at  the  bottom  of  the 
well  instead  of  drawing  water,  so  long  did  he  stand 
leaning  over  the  well-curb,  before  he  bethought  him 
self  to  loose  his  hold  on  the  rope  and  let  the  ponderous 
well-sweep  bring  up  the  bucket. 

He  had  not  seen  Desire  Edwards  since  the  Wednesday 
afternoon  when  she  had  called  at  his  home,  but  he  knew 


158  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

he  should  see  her  at  meeting*.  It  was  she  who  was  re 
sponsible  for  the  day-dreaming  way  in  which  he  was 
going  about  this  morning-,  and  for  a  good  deal  of  pre 
vious  day  dreaming  and  night  dreaming,  too,  in  the 
last  few  days.  The  analogy  of  the  tender  passion  to 
chills  and  fever  had  been  borne  out  in  his  case  by 
the  usual  alternations  of  complacency  and  depression. 
He  told  himself  that,  since  he  remembered  so  well  his 
boyish  courtship  of  her,  she,  too,  doubtless  remembered 
it.  A  woman  was  even  more  likely  than  a  man  to  re 
member  such  things.  Doubtless,  she  remembered,  too, 
that  kiss  she  had  given  him.  Her  coming  to  him  to 
ask  his  protection  for  her  aunt,  if  she  remembered 
those  passages,  had  some  significance.  She  must  have 
known  that  he  would  also  remember  them,  and  surely 
that  would  have  deterred  her  from  reopening  their  ac 
quaintance  had  she  found  the  reminiscences  in  question 
disagreeable.  He  assured  himself  that  had  it  been 
wholly  unpleasant  for  her  to  meet  him,  she  would  have 
been  shrewd  enough  to  devise  some  other  way  of  se 
curing  the  purpose  of  her  visit.  She  had  remained 
unmarried  all  the  time  of  his  absence,  although  she 
must  have  had  suitors.  Perhaps — well,  if  his  conjec 
ture  was  a  little  conceited,  be  sure  it  was  alternated 
with  others  self-depreciatory  enough  to  balance  it. 
But  I  have  no  space  or  need  to  describe  the  familiar 
process  of  architecture,  by  which  with  a  perhaps  for  a 
keystone,  possibilities  for  pillars,  and  dreams  for  pin 
nacles,  lovers  are  wont  to  rear  in  a  few  idle  hours 
palaces  outdazzling  Aladdin's.  I  shall  more  profitably 
give  a  word  or  two  of  explanation  to  another  point. 
Those  familiar  with  the  aristocratic  constitution  of 
New  England  society  at  this  period  will  perhaps  deem 
it  strange  that  the  social  gulf  between  the  poor  farmer's 


Perez  Goes  to   Meeting  159 

son,  like  Perez,  and  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  families  in  Berkshire,  should  not  have 
sufficed  to  deter  the  young  man  from  indulging  aspira 
tions  in  that  direction. 

Perhaps  if  he  had  grown  up  at  home  such  might  have"\ 
been  the  case,  despite  his  boyish  fondness  for  the  girl. 
But_the  army  of  the  Revolution  had  been,  for  its  offi 
cers  ancfthe  more  intelligent  element,  a  famousTscn~6ol 
drdemocrafic  ideas. — Perez  was~uniy  one  of  thousands 
who  cameTioTn~e~tteeply  imbued  with  principles  of  social 
equality ;  principles  which,  despite  finely  phrased  mani 
festoes  and  declarations  of  independence,  were  des 
tined  to  work  like  a  slow  leaven  for  generations  to  come, 
ere  they  transformed  the  oligarchical  system  of  colonial  } 
society  into  the  democracy  of  our  day.  ^  fS.\&  true  that 
Paul  Hubbard,  Abner,  Peleg,  Meshech,  and  the  rest, 
had  been,  like  Perez,  in  the  army,  and  yet  the  demo 
cratic  impressions  they  had  there  received,  now  that 
tney  had  returned  home,  served  only  to  exasperate 
them  against  the  pretensions  of  the  superior  class, 
without  availing  to  eradicate  their  inbred  instincts  of 
servility  in  the  presence  of  the  very  men  they  hated. 
Precisely  this  self-contemptuous  recognition  of  his  own 
servile  feeling,  operating  on  a  morose  temper,  was  the 
key  to  Hubbard's  special  bitterness  toward  the  silk- 
stockings.  That  Perez Jhad^  none  of  this  peasant's  in 
stinct  must,  after  all,  be  partly  ascribed  to  tHe~"Tact 
that  his  descent,  by  his  mother's  side,  had  been  that  of  a 
gentleman,  and  as  Reuben  had  taken  after  Elnathan,  so 

•'^T"'"^^"'*"'**  '      """*'    — 

Perez  was  his  mother's  boy.  ("""He  Telt  himself  a  gentle 
man,  although  a  farmer^son.  The  air  of  dainty  re 
moteness  and  distinction  which  invested  Desire  in  his 
imagination  was  by  virtue  of  her  womanhood  solely, 
not  as  the  representative  of  a  higher  class.  He  was 


160  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

penniless,  she  was  rich,  but  to  that  sufficiently  discour 
aging  obstacle  no  paralyzing  sense  of  caste  inferiority 
was  added  in  his  mind. 

Despite  the  dilatory  and  absent-minded  procedure  of 
the  young  man,  by  the  time  Prudence  came  out  to  call 
him  in  to  the  breakfast  of  fried  pork  and  johnny-cake, 
the  chores  were  done,  and  afterwards  he  had  only  to 
concern  himself  with  his  toilet.  He  stood  a  long  time 
gazing  ruefully  at  his  coat,  so  sadly  threadbare  and 
white  in  the  seams.  It  was  his  only  one,  and  very  old, 
but  Prudence  thought,  when  with  a  sigh  he  finally 
drew  it  on,  that  she  had  never  seen  so  fine  a  soldier, 
and,  indeed,  the  coat  did  look  much  better  on  than  off, 
for  a  gallant  bearing  will,  to  some  extent,  redeem  the 
most  dilapidated  attire. 

Reuben  had  grown  stronger  from  day  to  day,  and 
though  still  weak,  it  was  thought  that  he  could  well 
enough  take  care  of  George  Fennell  during  the  fore 
noon,  and  allow  the  rest  of  the  family  to  go  to  meeting. 
Perez  had  tinkered  up  the  old  cart,  and  contrived  a 
harness  out  of  ropes,  by  which  his  own  horse  could  be 
attached  to  it,  the  farm  horse  having  been  long  since 
sold  off;  and  Mrs.  Hamlin,  who  by  reason  of  infirmi 
ties  had  long  been  debarred  from  the  privileges  of  the 
sanctuary,  expected  to  be  able  by  this  means  to  be 
present  there  this  morning,  to  offer  up  devout  thanks 
giving  for  the  mercy  which  had  so  wonderfully,  in  one 
week,  restored  to  her  both  her  sons. 

It  was  half -past  nine  when  the  air  was  filled  with  a 
deep,  musical,  melancholy  sound  which  appeared  to 
come  from  the  hill  north  of  the  village,  where  the 
meeting-house  stood.  It  lasted  perhaps  five  seconds, 
beginning  with  a  long  crescendo,  and  quivering  into 
silence  by  an  equally  prolonged  diminuendo.  It  was 


Perez  Goes  to  Meeting  161 

certainly  an  astonishing  sound,  but  none  of  the  family 
appeared  in  the  least  agitated,  Elnathan  merely  re 
marking: 

"  There's  the  warnin'  blow,  Perez,  I  guess  ye  better 
be  thinkin'  'baout  hitchin'  up. "  It  were  strange  indeed 
if  the  people  of  Stockbridge  had  not  by  that  time  be 
come  familiar  with  the  sound  of  the  old  Indian  conch- 
shell  which,  since  the  mission  church  was  founded  at 
the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  had  served  instead  of  a 
meeting-house  bell.  It  may  be  well  believed  that 
strong  lungs  were  the  first  requisite  in  sextons  of  that 
day.  When  an  hour  later  the  same  dreary  wail  filled 
the  valley  once  more  with  its  weird  echoes,  the  family 
was  on  its  way  to  meeting,  Mrs.  Hamlin  and  Elnathan 
in  the  cart,  and  Perez  with  Prudence  on  foot.  The 
congregation  was  now  rapidly  arriving  from  every 
direction,  and  the  road  was  full  of  people.  There  were 
men  on  horseback  with  their  wives  sitting  on  a  pillion 
behind,  and  clasping  the  conjugal  waistband  for  secur 
ity  ;  families  in  carts,  and  families  trudging  afoot,  while 
here  and  there  the  more  pretentious  members  of  the 
congregation  were  seen  in  chaises. 

The  new  meeting-house  on  the  hill  had  been  built 
during  Perez's  absence,  to  supersede  the  old  church  on 
the  green,  with  which  his  childish  associations  were 
connected.  It  had  been  erected  directly  after  the  close 
of  the  war,  and  the  effort,  in  addition  to  the  heavy 
taxation  then  necessary  for  public  purposes,  was  such 
a  drain  on  the  resources  of  the  town  as  to  have  been  a 
serious  local  aggravation  of  the  distress  of  the  times. 
According  to  the  rule  in  church-building  religiously 
adhered  to  by  the  early  New  Englanders,  the  bleakest 
spot  within  the  town  limits  had  been  selected  for  the 
meeting-house.  It  was  a  white,  barn-shaped  structure, 
ii 


1 62  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

fifty  feet  by  sixty,  with  a  steeple,  the  pride  of  the 
whole  country-side,  sixty-two  feet  high,  and  tipped 
with  a  brass  rooster  brought  from  Boston,  to  serve  as  a 
weather-vane. 

Perez  and  Prudence,  separating  at  the  door,  went  to 
the  several  places  which  Puritan  decorum  assigned  to 
those  of  the  spinister  and  bachelor  condition  respec 
tively,  the  former  going  into  the  right-hand  gallery, 
the  other  into  the  left,  exceptions  being  made,  however, 
in  behalf  of  the  owners  of  the  square  pews,  who  en 
joyed  the  privilege  of  having  their  families  with  them 
in  the  house  of  God.  Across  the  middle  of  the  end 
gallery  Doctor  Partridge's  square  pew  extended,  so 
that  by  no  means  might  the  occupants  of  the  two  side 
galleries  come  within  whispering  distance  of  each 
other. 

Obadiah  Weeks,  Abe  Konkapot  and  Abner,  who  was 
a  widower  and  classed  himself  with  bachelors,  and  a 
large  number  of  other  young  men  whom  Perez  recog 
nized  as  belonging  to  the  mob  under  his  leadership  on 
Tuesday,  were  already  in  their  seats.  Fidgeting  in 
unfamiliar  boots  and  shoes,  and  meek  with  plentifully 
greased  and  flatly  plastered  hair,  there  was  very  little 
in  the  subdued  aspect  of  these  young  men  to  remind 
any  one  of  the  truculent  rebels  who  a  few  days  before 
had  shaken  their  bludgeons  in  the  faces  of  the  Honor 
able  the  Justices  of  the  Common  Pleas.  As  Perez 
entered  the  seat  with  them,  they  recognized  him  with 
sheepish  grins,  as  if  to  say,  "We're  all  in  the  same 
box,"  quite  as  the  occupants  of  a  prisoner's  dock  might 
receive  a  fellow  victim  thrust  in  with  them  by  the  sher 
iff.  Obadiah  reached  out  his  clenched  fist  with  some 
thing  in  it,  and  Perez  putting  forth  his  hand  received 
therein  a  handful  of  dried  caraway  seeds.  "  Thought 


Perez  Goes  to  Meeting  163 

mebbe  ye  hadn't  got  no  meetin'-seed, "  whispered  Oba- 
diah. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  nine  years'  absence  from  home 
had  weaned  him  somewhat  from  native  customs,  Perez 
had,  in  fact,  forgotten  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  this  inesti 
mable  simple,  to  the  universal  use  of  which  by  our  fore 
fathers  during  religious  service  may  probably  be 
ascribed  their  endurance  of  Sabbatical  and  doctrinal 
rigors  to  which  their  descendants  are  confessedly  un 
equal.  It  is  well  known  that  their  knowledge  of  the 
medicinal  uses  of  common  herbs  was  far  greater  than 
ours,  and  it  was  doubtless  the  discovery  of  some  secret 
virtue,  some  occult  theological  reaction,  if  I  may  so 
express  myself,  in  the  seeds  of  the  humble  caraway, 
which  led  to  the  undeviating  rule  of  furnishing  all  the 
members  of  every  family,  from  children  to  gray-heads, 
with  a  small  quantity  to  be  chewed  in  the  mouth  and 
mingled  with  the  saliva  during  attendance  on  the  stated 
ordinances  of  the  gospel.  Whatever  may  be  thought 
of  this  theory,  the  fact  will  not  be  called  in  question 
that,  in  the  main,  the  relaxation  of  religious  doctrine 
and  Sabbath  observance  in  New  England  has  pro 
ceeded  side  by  side  with  the  decline  in  the  use  of 
"meetin'-seed." 

In  putting  all  the  young  men  together  in  one  gallery, 
it  may  be  thought  that  some  risk  was  incurred  of  mak 
ing  that  a  quarter  of  disturbance.  But  if  the  tithing- 
man,  with  his  argus  eyes  and  long  rod,  were  not  enough 
to  insure  propriety,  the  rows  of  charming  maidens  on 
the  seats  of  the  gallery  directly  opposite  could  have 
been  relied  upon  to  complete  the  work.  The  galleries 
were  very  deep,  and  the  distance  across  the  meeting 
house,  from  the  front  seat  of  one  to  that  of  the  other, 
was  not  over  twenty-five  feet.  At  this  close  range. 


164  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

reckoning  girls'  eyes  to  have  been  about  as  effective 
then  as  they  are  now,  it  may  be  readily  inferred  what 
havoc  must  have  been  wrought  in  the  bachelors'  rows 
in  the  course  of  a  two-hours'  service. 

The  singers  sat  in  the  front  seat  of  the  galleries :  the 
bass  singers  in  the  front  seat  on  the  bachelors'  side,  the 
treble  in  the  front  seat  on  the  spinsters'  side,  and  the 
alto  and  tenor  singers  in  the  wings  of  the  end  gallery, 
separated  by  Doctor  Partridge's  pew.  For,  as  in  most 
New  England  churches  at  this  date,  the  "old  way,"  of 
purely  congregational  singing  by  "lining  out,"  had 
given  place  to  select  choirs — an  innovation,  however, 
over  which  the  elder  part  of  the  congregation  still 
groaned.  On  the  back  seats  of  the  end  gallery,  be 
hind  the  tenors  and  altos  respectively,  sat  the  negro 
freedmen  and  freedwomen,  the  Pomps  and  Cudjos,  the 
Dinahs  and  Blossoms.  Sitting  by  Prudence,  among 
the  treble  singers,  Perez  noticed  a  young  Indian  girl 
of  very  uncommon  beauty  and  refinement  of  features, 
her  dark  olive  complexion  furnishing  a  perfect  foil  to 
the  blooming  face  of  the  white  girl. 

"Who's  that  girl  by  Prudence  Fennell?"  he  whis 
pered  to  Abe  Konkapot,  who  sat  beside  him.  The 
young  Indian's  bronze  face  flushed  darkly,  as  he  re 
plied: 

"That's  Lucretia  Nimham." 

Perez  was  about  to  make  further  inquiries  when  it 
flashed  on  him  that  this  was  the  girl  whom  Obadiah 
had  jokingly  alluded  to  as  the  reason  why  Abe  had  lin 
gered  in  Stockbridge,  instead  of  moving  out  to  York 
State  with  his  tribe.  She  certainly  was  a  very  sufficient 
reason  for  a  man's  doing  or  not  doing  almost  anything. 

From  his  position  in  the  gallery  Perez  could  look 
down  on  the  main  body  of  the  congregation  below,  and 


Perez  Goes  to  Meeting  165 

his  cheek  flushed  with  anger  as  he  saw  his  father  and 
mother  occupying  one  of  the  seats  in  the  back  part  of 
the  room,  in  the  locality  considered  least  in  honor,  ac 
cording  to  the  distinctions  followed  by  the  parish  com 
mittee,  in  periodically  reseating  the  congregation,  or  i 
" dignifying  the  seats,"  as  the  people  called  it.  Con-  V^ 
siderably  nearer  the  pulpit,  and  in  seats  of  correspond 
ingly  greater  dignity,  he  recognized  Israel  Goodrich 
and  Ezra  Phelps,  the  two  men  of  chiefest  estate  among 
the  insurgents.  Directly  under  and  before  the  pulpit, 
almost  beneath  it,  in  fact,  facing  the  people  from  be 
hind  a  sort  of  railing,  sat  Deacon  Nash.  His  brother 
deacon,  Squire  Timothy  Edwards,  had  not  yet  arrived. 
As  he  looked  over  the  fast  filling  house, — for  he 
and  Prudence  had  arrived  rather  early, — he  met  many 
eyes  fixed  curiously  upon  him.  Sometimes  a  whisper 
would  pass  along  a  seat,  from  person  to  person,  till,  one 
after  another,  the  entire  row  had  turned  and  stared  in 
tently  at  him.  This  was  the  beginning  of  his  fame. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
What  Happened  After  Meeting 

THERE  had  been  considerable  discussion  during  the 
week  as  to  whether  Squire  Woodbridge,  in  view  of  the 
public  humiliation  which  had  been  put  upon  him, 
would  expose  himself  to  the  curious  gaze  of  the  com 
munity  by  coming  to  meeting  on  the  following  Sun 
day.  It  had  been  the  more  prevalent  opinion  that  he 
would  find  in  the  low  condition  of  Mrs.  Woodbridge, 
who  was  hovering  between  life  and  death,  a  reason 
which  would  serve  as  an  excuse  for  not  "  attending  on 
the  stated  ordinances  of  the  gospel. "  But  now,  from 
those  whose  position  enabled  them  to  command  a  view 
of  the  front  door  of  the  meeting-house,  rose  a  sibilant 
whisper,  distinct  above  the  noise  of  boots  and  shoes 
upon  the  uncarpeted  aisles : 

"  Here  he  comes!  Here  comes  Squire." 
There  were  several  gentlemen  in  Stockbridge  who, 
by  virtue  of  a  liberal  profession  or  present  or  past 
official  dignities,  had  a  claim,  always  rigorously  en 
forced  and  scrupulously  conceded,  to  the  title  of  Es 
quire,  but  when  "  The  Squire  "  was  spoken  of,  it  was 
always  Jahleel  Woodbridge  whom  the  speaker  had  in 
mind.  Decidedly,  those  who  thought  he  would  not 
dare  to  appear  in  public  had  mistaken  his  temper. 
His  face,  always  that  of  a  full-blooded  man,  was  redder 
than  common ;  in  fact,  contrasted  with  the  white  pow- 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       167 

der  of  his  wig,  it  seemed  almost  purple,  but  that  was 
the  only  sign  he  gave  that  he  was  conscious  of  the  peo 
ple's  curious  gaze.  He  wore  a  long-skirted,  straight- 
cut  coat  of  fine  blue  cloth  with  brass  buttons ;  a  brown 
waistcoat,  and  small-clothes,  silk  hose,  and  a  ruffled 
white  shirt  and  cuffs.  Under  one  arm  he  carried  his 
three-cornered  hat  and  under  the  other  his  gold-headed 
cane,  and  he  walked  with  his  usual  firm,  heavy,  full- 
bodied  step — the  step  of  a  man  who  is  not  afraid  of 
making  a  noise  and  expects  that  people  will  look  at  him. 
There  was  not  the  slightest  deflection  from  the  old-time 
arrogance  in  the  stiff  carriage  of  the  head  and  eyes,  nor 
anything  whatever  to  show  that  he  considered  himself 
one  jot  or  tittle  less  the  autocrat  of  the  town  than  on 
the  previous  Sabbath.  Walking  the  whole  length  of 
the  meeting-house,  he  opened  the  door  of  the  big 
square  pew  at  the  right  hand  of  the  pulpit,  considered 
the  first  in  honor,  and  the  only  part  of  the  interior  of 
the  meeting-house,  save  the  pulpit  and  sounding-board, 
which  was  painted.  One  by  one  the  numerous  children 
who  called  him  father  passed  before  him  into  the  pew. 
Then  he  closed  the  door  and  sat  down,  facing  the  con 
gregation,  and  slowly  and  deliberately  looked  at  the 
people.  As  his  glance  traveled  steadily  along  the  lines 
of  seats,  the  starers  left  off  staring  and  looked  down 
abashed.  After  he  had  thus  reviewed  the  seats  below, 
he  turned  his  eyes  upward  and  proceeded  to  scan  the 
galleries  with  the  same  effect. 

So  strong  was  the  impression  made  by  this  unruffled 
and  authoritative  demeanor  that  the  people  were  fain 
to  scratch  their  heads  and  look  at  one  another  in  vacant 
questioning,  as  if  doubtful  if  they  had  not  dreamed  all 
this  about  the  great  man  having  been  put  down  by  Perez 
Hamlin,  insulted  by  the  mob,  and  reduced  even  now 


1 68  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

to  such  powerlessness  that  he  owed  the  protection  of 
his  sick  wife  to  the  favor  of  the  threadbare  Continental 
captain  up  there  in  the  gallery.  To  those  conscious  of 
having  had  a  part  in  these  doings,  there  was  a  disagree 
ably  vivid  suggestion  of  the  stocks  and  whipping-post 
in  the  Squire's  haughty  stare,  against  which  even  a 
sense  of  their  numbers  failed  to  reassure  them.  Of 
course,  the  revolt  had  gained  far  too  great  headway  to 
be  now  suppressed  by  anybody's  personal  prestige  or  by 
the  frowns  and  stares  of  any  number  of  Squire  Wood- 
bridges;  but,  nevertheless,  the  impression  which  even 
after  the  events  of  the  last  week  he  was  still  able  to 
make  upon  the  people  by  his  mere  manner,  was  strik 
ing  testimony  to  their  inveterate  habit  of  awe  toward 
him,  as  the  embodiment  of  secular  authority  among 
them. 

Perez  had  been  too  long  absent  from  home,  and  dif 
fered  too  much  in  habits  of  thought,  fully  to  under 
stand  the  sentiments  of  the  peasant-like  people  towards 
the  Squire;  in  truth  his  attention  was  diverted  from 
that  gentlemen  ere  he  had  time  to  observe  the  effect  of 
his  entrance.  For  he  had  scarcely  reached  his  pew 
when  Squire  and  Deacon  Timothy  Edwards  came  up 
the  aisle,  followed  by  his  family.  Desire  wore  a  blue 
silk  skirt  and  close-fitting  bodice,  with  a  white  lace 
kerchief  tucked  in  about  her  shoulders,  and  the  same 
blue-plumed  hat  of  soft  Leghorn  straw  in  which  we 
have  seen  her  before,  the  wide  brim  falling  lower  on 
one  side  than  the  other,  over  her  dark  curls.  As  she 
swept  up  the  aisle  between  the  rows  of  farmers  and 
farmers'  wives,  the  contrast  between  their  coarse,  ill- 
fitting  and  sad-colored  homespun,  and  her  rich  and 
tasteful  robes,  was  not  more  striking  than  the  difference 
between  the  delicate  distinction  of  her  features  and 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       169 

their  hard,  rough  faces,  weather-beaten  and  wrinkled 
with  toil  and  exposure,  or  sallow  and  hollow-cheeked 
with  care  and  trouble.  She  looked  like  one  of  a  differ 
ent  order  of  beings,  and  indeed,  it  is  nothing  more  than 
truth  to  say  that  such  was  exactly  the  opinion  which 
Miss  Desire  herself  entertained.  The  eyes  of  admira 
tion  with  which  the  girls  leaning  over  the  gallery  fol 
lowed  her  up  the  aisle  were  quite  without  a  spark  of 
jealousy,  for  they  knew  that  their  rustic  sweethearts 
would  no  more  think  of  loving  her  than  of  wasting 
their  passion  on  the  moon.  She  was  meat  for  their 
betters, — for  some  great  gentleman  from  New  York  or 
Boston,  all  in  lace  and  ruffles,  some  judge  or  senator, 
or,  greater  still,  may  be  some  minister. 

To  tell  the  whole  truth,  however,  the  admiring  at 
tention  which  her  own  sex  accorded  to  Desire  on  Sun 
days  was  rather  owing  to  the  ever- varying  attractions 
of  her  toilet,  than  to  her  personal  charms.  If  any  of 
the  damsels  of  Stockbridge  who  went  to  bed  without 
their  supper  Sunday  night,  because  they  could  not  re 
member  the  text  of  the  sermon,  had  been  allowed  to 
substitute  an  account  of  Desire  Edwards's  toilet,  it  is 
certain  they  would  not  have  missed  an  item.  It  was 
the  chief  boast  of  Mercy  Scott,  the  village  seamstress, 
that  Desire  trusted  her  new  gowns  to  her  instead  of 
sending  to  New  York  for  them.  From  the  glow  of 
pride  and  importance  on  Miss  Mercy's  rather  dried-up 
features,  when  Desire  wore  a  new  gown  for  the  first 
time  to  church,  it  was  perfectly  evident  that  she  looked 
upon  herself  as  the  contributor  of  the  central  feature  of 
the  day's  services.  At  the  quilting  and  apple-paring 
bees  held  about  the  time  of  the  making  of  such  a  new 
gown,  Miss  Mercy  was  the  centre  of  interest,  and  no 
other  gossip  was  started  until  she  had  completed  her 


170  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

confidences  as  to  the  material,  cost,  cut,  and  fit  of  the 
foreshadowed  garment.  It  was  with  glistening  eyes 
and  fingers  that  forgot  their  needles  that  these  wives 
and  daughters  of  poor  hard-working  farmers  drank  in 
the  details  about  rich  Eastern  silks  and  fabrics  of  gor 
geous  tints  and  airy  textures,  their  own  coarse,  butter 
nut  homespun  quite  forgotten  in  imagined  splendors. 
In  their  rapt  attention  there  was  no  tinge  of  envy,  for 
such  things  were  too  far  above  their  reach  to  be  once 
thought  of  in  connection  with  themselves.  It  was 
upon  the  fit  of  Desire's  gown,  however,  that  Miss 
Mercy,  with  the  instinct  of  the  artist,  grew  most  im 
passioned. 

"  'T  ain't  no  credit  to  me  a-fittin'  her, "  she  would  some 
times  protest.  "  There's  some  figgers  you  can't  fetch 
cloth  tew,  nohow.  But,  deary  me,  land  sakes  alive, 
the  cloth  seems  ter  love  her,  it  clings  to  her  so  nateral. 
An'  't  ain't  no  wonder  ef  it  doos.  I  never  see  sech  a 

figger.  Why,  her "  But  Miss  Mercy's  audiences 

at  such  times  were  exclusively  feminine. 

It  was  a  very  noticeable  circumstance  on  the  present 
Sunday  that  all  the  persons  in  the  meeting-house  who 
looked  at  Desire  as  she  walked  up  the  aisle,  proceeded 
immediately  afterward  to  screw  their  necks  around 
and  stare  at  Perez,  thereby  betraying  that  the  sight  of 
the  one  had  immediately  suggested  the  other  to  their 
minds. 

The  Edwards  seat  was  the  second  in  dignity  in  the 
meeting-house,  being  the  one  on  the  left  of  the  pulpit, 
and  ranking  with  that  of  the  Sedgwicks,  although  as 
between  the  several  leading  pews  the  distinction  was 
not  considered  so  decided  as  to  be  odious.  Having 
ushered  his  family  to  their  place,  Squire  Edwards  took 
his  own  official  seat  as  deacon,  beside  Deacon  Nash, 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       171 

behind  the  railing,  below  the  pulpit,  and  facing  the  peo- 
pie. 

Then  Parson  West  came  tip  the  aisle,  in  flowing 
gown  and  bands,  his  three-cornered  hat  under  his  arm ; 
he  climbed  the  steps  into  the  lofty  pulpit,  set  the  hour 
glass  up  in  view,  and  the  service  began.  There  was 
singing,  a  short  prayer,  and  again  singing,  and  then 
the  entire  congregation  rose,  the  seats  were  fastened 
up  that  none  should  sit,  and  the  long  prayer  began, 
and  went  on  and  on  for  nearly  an  hour.  Then  there 
was  another  psalm,  and  then  the  sermon  began.  Up 
at  Pittsfield  that  morning,  you  may  be  very  sure  that 
Parson  Allen  gave  his  people  a  rousing  discourse  on 
the  times,  wherein  the  sin  of  rebellion  was  treated 
searchingly,  and  the  duty  of  citizens  to  submit  to 
the  powers  that  be,  and  to  maintain  lawful  authority 
even  to  the  shedding  of  blood,  were  vigorously  set 
forth.  But  Parson  West  was  not  a  political  parson, 
and  there  was  not  a  word  in  his  sermon  which  his  hear 
ers,  watchful  for  anything  of  the  kind,  could  construe 
into  a  reference  to  the  existing  events  of  the  past  week. 
It  was  his  practice  to  keep  several  sermons  on  hand,  and 
the  sermon  that  day  might  just  as  well  have  been  pre 
pared  a  thousand  years  before.  It  was  upon  the  sub 
ject  of  the  deplorable  consequences  of  neglecting  the 
baptism  of  infants. 

Parson  West  presented  the  doctrine  that  if  a  parent 
truly  gave  up  a  child  in  baptism,  it  would  be  accepted 
and  saved,  whether  it  died  in  infancy  or  lived  to  pass 
through  the  mental  exercises  of  an  adult  convert.  But 
on  the  other  hand,  if  that  duty  was  purposely  neglected, 
or  if  baptism  was  unaccompanied  by  a  proper  frame  of 
mind  in  the  parent,  there  was  no  reason  or  hint  from 
revelation  to  believe  that  the  child  was  saved.  Con- 


1 72  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

sidering  that  the  infant  was  justly  liable  to  eternal  suf 
fering  on  account  of  Adam's  sin,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  human  mind  to  see  how  God  could  be  just  and  yet 
the  justifier  of  an  unbaptized  infant.  But  it  was  not 
for  the  human  mind  to  limit  infinite  mercy  and  wisdom, 
and  possibly  in  His  secret  councils  God  had  devised  a 
way  of  salvation  even  for  so  desperate  a  case.  So  that 
while  hope  was  not  absolutely  forbidden  to  parents 
who  had  neglected  the  baptism  of  their  infants,  confi 
dence  would  be  most  wicked  and  presumptuous. 

Deacon  Edwards  fidgeted  on  his  seat  at  the  laxity  of 
this  doctrine,  as  well  might  the  son  of  Jonathan  Ed 
wards  ;  and  Deacon  Nash,  who  inherited  his  Calvinism 
from  a  father  who  had  moved  from  Westfield  to  Stock- 
bridge  for  the  express  purpose  of  sitting  under  that  re 
nowned  divine,  seemed  equally  uncomfortable.  Parson 
West,  as  a  young  man,  had  been  notoriously  affected 
with  Arminian  leanings,  and  although  his  conversion 
to  Calvinism  by  Dr.  Hopkins  of  Great  Barrington  had 
been  deemed  a  wonderful  work  of  grace,  yet  a  ten 
dency  to  sacrifice  the  logical  development  of  doctrines 
to  the  weak  suggestions  of  the  flesh  was  constantly 
cropping  out  in  his  sermons,  to  the  frequent  grief  and 
scandal  of  the  deacons. 

At  length  the  service  was  at  an  end,  and  the  hum  and 
buzz  of  voices  rose  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  as  the 
people  passing  out  of  their  pews  met  and  greeted  each 
other  in  the  aisles.  The  afternoon  service  would  begin 
in  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  only  those  went  home  who 
lived  close  at  hand  or  could  easily  make  the  distances 
in  their  carriages.  These  took  with  them  such  friends 
and  acquaintances  as  they  might  invite.  Others  of  the 
congregation  spent  the  brief  nooning  in  the  "noon- 
house,"  a  shed  near  by,  erected  for  this  purpose. 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       173 

There,  or  on  the  meeting-house  steps,  or  perhaps 
seated  near  by  on  the  grass  and  using  for  tables  the 
stumps  of  felled  trees  with  which  it  was  studded,  they 
discussed  the  sermon  as  a  relish  to  their  luncheons  of 
doughnuts,  cheese,  pie,  and  gingerbread.  To  con 
verse  on  any  other  than  religious  subjects  on  the  Sab 
bath  was  a  sin  and  a  scandal  which  exposed  the 
offender  to  church  discipline,  but  in  a  public  emer 
gency  like  the  present,  when  rebellion  was  rampant 
throughout  the  country,  it  was  impossible  that  political 
affairs  should  not  preoccupy  the  most  pious  minds. 
Talk  of  them  the  people  must  and  did :  of  the  stopping 
of  the  courts,  the  breaking  of  the  jails,  of  Squire  Wood- 
bridge  and  Perez  Hamlin,  of  the  news  from  the  other 
counties,  and  of  what  might  next  take  place ;  but  the 
speakers  contrived  to  compound  with  their  consciences 
and  prevent  scandal  by  giving  a  pious  twist  and  a  Sab 
batical  intonation  to  their  sentences. 

Among  the  younger  people,  as  might  be  expected, 
there  was  less  of  this  affectation.  They  were  all  dis 
cussing  with  eager  interest  something  which  had  just 
happened. 

"  Wai,  all  I  say  is  I  don't  want  to  be  a  lady  if  it  makes 
folks  so  crewel  an'  so  deceitful  as  that,"  said  Submit 
Goodrich,  a  black-eyed,  bright-cheeked  girl,  old  Israel's 
youngest  daughter.  "  To  think  o'  her  pretendin'  not  to 
know  him,  right  afore  all  the  folks,  and  she  on  her 
knees  to  him  a-cryin'  only  four  days  ago.  I  don't  care 
if  she  is  Squire  Edwards's  gal,  I  hain't  got  no  opinion 
o*  such  doin's." 

Most  of  the  girls  agreed  with  Submit,  but  some  of 
the  young  men  were  inclined  to  laugh  at  Perez,  saying 
it  was  good  enough  for  him,  and  that  he  who  was 
nothing  more  than  a  farmer  like  the  rest  of  them 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

was  served  right  for  trying  to  push  in  among  the  big 
folks. 

"  I  s'pose  she's  dretful  riled  to  think  it's  all  'raound 
'baout  her  goin'  over  to  the  Hamlins'  last  week,  an*  she 
thought  she'd  jest  let  folks  see  she  was  ez  proud  ez 
ever.  Land!  how  red  he  was!  I  felt  real  bad  for 
him,  and  such  a  nice  bow  ez  he  made,  jest  like  any 
gentleman! " 

"  I  expect  Jerushy  wouldn't  ha*  been  so  hard  on 
him,"  jealously  sneered  a  young  farmer  sitting  by  the 
young  woman  who  last  spoke. 

"No,  I  wouldn't,"  she  said,  turning  sharply  to  him. 
"  I  s'pose  ye  thought  I  wasn't  no  judge  o'  han'some 
men,  'cause  I  let  yew  keep  comp'ny  with  me."  There 
was  nothing  more  heard  from  that  quarter. 

But  what  was  the  cause  of  the  excitement?  Why, 
simply  this:  In  front  of  the  meeting-house,  as  they 
came  out  from  the  service,  Perez  met  Desire  face  to 
face.  All  the  people  were  standing  around,  talking 
and  waiting  to  see  the  great  folks  get  into  their  car 
riages  to  drive  home.  Naturally,  everybody  looked 
with  special  interest  to  see  the  meeting  of  those  two 
whose  names  gossip  had  so  constantly  coupled  during 
the  week.  Jonathan  was  with  Desire,  and  looked 
fiercely  at  Perez,  but  his  fierceness  was  quite  wasted. 
Perez  did  not  see  him.  He  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed 
to  Desire  with  an  air  of  the  most  profound  respect. 
She  gave  not  the  faintest  sign  of  recognition,  not  even 
to  the  dropping  of  an  eyelid.  The  people  had  stopped 
talking  and  were  staring.  The  blood  rushed  to  Perez's 
forehead. 

"Good  day,  Miss  Edwards,"  he  said,  firmly  and  dis 
tinctly,  yet  respectfully,  his  hat  still  in  his  hand. 
Jonathan,  in  his  indignation,  was  as  red  as  he,  but 


DESIRE  GAVE  NOT  THE  SLIGHTEST  SIGN  OF  RECOGNITION. 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       175 

Desire  could  not  have  appeared  more  unconscious  of 
being  addressed  had  she  been  stone  deaf  as  well  as 
blind.  In  a  moment  more  she  had  passed  on  and  en 
tered  the  carriage,  and  the  people  were  left  with  some 
thing  to  talk  about.  Now,  Captain  Perez  Hamlin  had 
gone  to  meeting  that  morning  as  much  in  love  with 
Desire  Edwards  as  four  days'  thinking  of  little  else 
save  a  fair  face  and  a  charming  form  might  be  expected 
to  leave  a  susceptible  young  man,  particularly  when 
the  manly  passion  is  but  the  resurrection  of  an  unfor- 
gotten  love  of  boyhood.  He  walked  home  somewhat 
more  angry  with  the  same  young  woman  than  he  could 
remember  ever  having  been  with  anybody.  If  a  benevo 
lent  fairy  had  asked  him  his  dearest  wish  just  then,  it 
would  have  been  that  Desire  Edwards  might  be  trans 
formed  into  a  )^oung  gentleman  for  about  five  minutes, 
in  order  that  he  might  bestow  upon  him  the  con- 
foundedest  thrashing  that  a  young  gentleman  ever 
experienced,  nor  did  even  the  consciousness  that  no 
such  transformation  was  possible  prevent  his  fingers 
from  tingling  with  a  most  ungallant  aspiration  to  box 
her  small  ears  until  they  were  as  red  as  his  own  face 
had  been  at  the  moment  she  cut  him  so  coolly.  For 
he  was  a  very  proud  man,  was  Captain  Perez  Hamlin, 
with  a  soldier's  sensitiveness  to  personal  affronts,  and 
none  of  that  mean  opinion  of  himself  and  his  position 
in  society  which  helped  the  farmers  around  to  bear 
with  equanimity  the  snubs  of  those  they  regarded  as 
their  natural  superiors. 

The  father  and  mother  had  fortunately  driven  on  be 
fore  the  scene  took  place,  and  so  at  least  he  was  spared 
the  added  exasperation  of  being  condoled  with  on  ar 
riving  at  home.  Prudence  had  stayed  for  the  after 
noon  service.  Toward  twilight,  as  he  was  walking  to 


176  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

and  fro  behind  the  barn,  and  indulging  an  extremely 
tmsanctified  frame  of  mind,  she  came  to  him  and 
blurted  out,  breathlessly : 

"  All  the  girls  think  she  was  mean  and  wicked,  and 
I'll  never  do  any  more  work  for  her  or  Mis'  Wood- 
bridge  either,"  and  before  he  could  answer  she  had  run 
back  into  the  house  with  burning  cheeks.  He  had  seen 
that  her  eyes  were  also  full  of  tears.  It  was  clear  she 
had  been  struggling  hard  between  the  pity  which 
prompted  her  to  tender  some  form  of  consolation  and 
her  fear  of  speaking  to  him. 

The  dreamy  habit  of  the  mind  induced  by  love  in  its 
first  stage  often  extends  to  the  point  of  overspreading 
all  the  realities  of  life  and  the  circumstances  of  the 
individual  with  a  glamour  which,  for  the  time  being, 
disguises  the  hard  and  rigid  outlines  of  fact.  The  pain 
ful  shock  which  had  so  sharply  ended  Perez's  brief 
delusion  that  Desire  might  possibly  accept  his  devo 
tion,  had  at  the  same  time  roused  him  to  a  recognition 
of  the  critical  position  of  himself  and  his  father's  fam 
ily.  What  business  had  he  or  they  lingering  here  in 
Stockbridge?  Yesterday,  in  the  vague,  unpractical 
way  in  which  hopeful  lovers  do  all  their  thinking,  he 
had  thought  they  might  remain  indefinitely.  Now  he 
saw  that  it  would  be  tempting  Providence  to  postpone 
any  further  the  carrying  out  of  his  original  plan  of 
moving  with  them  to  New  York  State.  The  present 
insurrection  might  last  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  but 
there  was  no  reason  to  think  it  would  result  in 
remedying  the  already  desperate  financial  condi 
tion  of  the  family.  The  house  was  to  have  been  sold 
the  previous  week,  and  doubtless  would  be  as  soon  as 
affairs  were  a  little  quieter.  Reuben  was,  moreover, 
liable  to  re-arrest  and  imprisonment  on  his  old  debt, 


What  Happened  After  Meeting       177 

and  as  for  himself,  he  knew  that  his  life  was  forfeit 
to  the  gallows  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  re 
bellion. 

Once  across  the  State  line,  however,  they  would  be 
as  safe  as  in  Europe,  for  the  present  union  of  the  States 
was  not  yet  formed,  and  the  loose  and  nerveless  bond 
of  the  old  Federation,  then  in  its  last  stage  of  decrepi 
tude,  left  the  States  practically  foreign  countries  to 
each  other.  His  idea  was  to  get  the  family  over  into 
New  York  without  delay,  with  such  remnants  of  the 
farm  stock  as  could  be  got  together ;  and  leaving  them 
for  the  winter  at  New  Lebanon,  just  the  other  side  of 
the  border,  to  go  on  himself,  meanwhile,  to  the  west 
ern  part  of  the  State,  to  secure  a  farm  in  the  new  tracts 
being  already  opened  up  in  that  rich  region,  and  rapid 
ly  filling  with  settlers.  For  the  populating  of  the  West 
(and  New  York  was  then  the  West)  has  gone  on  by 
successive  waves  of  emigration,  set  in  motion  by 
periodical  epochs  of  financial  and  industrial  distress  in 
the  Atlantic  States,  and  the  first  of  these  impulses — 
the  hard  times  following  the  Revolution — was  already 
sending  thousands  to  seek  new  homes  toward  the  set 
ting  sun. 

Busy  with  preparations  for  the  start,  he  kept  close  at 
home  during  the  entire  week  following.  Only  once  or 
twice  did  he  even  go  down  the  street,  and  then  on 
some  necessary  errand.  Obadiah  dropped  in  frequent 
ly  and  looked  on  as  he  worked,  evidently  having  some 
thing  on  his  mind.  One  evening  at  twilight,  as  Perez 
was  cutting  wood  for  the  evening  fire,  the  young  man 
came  into  the  back  yard  and  opened  conversation  in 
this  wise : 

"  Guess  it's  goin'  ter  rain." 

"  Looks  a  little  like  it,"  Perez  assented. 

12 


178  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Obadiah  was  silent  a  space,  and  ground  the  heel  of 
his  bare  foot  into  the  dirt. 

"  D'ye  know  what's  good  fer  warts? "  he  finally  asked. 
Perez  said  he  did  not.  After  a  pause,  Obadiah  remarked 
critically : 

"  Them  bricks  'raoun'  the  top  o*  the  chimly  be  kinder 
loose,  bain't  they? "  They  were,  and  Perez  freely  ad 
mitted  the  fact.  Obadiah  looked  around  for  some 
other  topic  of  conversation,  but  apparently  finding 
none,  he  picked  up  a  stone  and  asked  with  affected 
carelessness,  as  he  jerked  it  toward  the  barn : 

"  Be  ye  a-goin'  ter  take  George  Fennell  'long  with 
ye?" 

"No, "said  Perez.  "He  will  not  live  long,  I  fear, 
and  he  can't  be  moved.  I  suppose  some  of  the  people 
will  take  him  and  Prudence  in,  when  we  go." 

Obadiah  said  nothing,  but  from  the  change  which 
instantly  came  over  his  manner,  it  was  evident  that  the 
information  obtained  with  such  superfluous  diplomacy 
was  a  prodigious  relief  to  his  mind.  The  officiousness 
with  which  he  urged  a  handful  of  chestnuts  on  Perez, 
and  even  offered  to  carry  in  the  wood  for  him,  might 
moreover  be  construed  as  indicating  a  desire  to  make 
amends  to  him  for  unjust  suspicions  secretly  cherished. 
As  for  asking  Prudence  outright  whether  she  was  ex 
pecting  to  go  away,  that  would  have  been  a  piece  of 
hardihood  of  which  the  bashful  youth  was  quite  inca 
pable.  If  he  could  not  have  ascertained  her  intentions 
otherwise  than  by  such  a  desperate  measure,  he  would 
have  waited  till  the  Hamlins  set  out,  and  then  been  on 
hand  to  see  for  himself  whether  she  went  or  not. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
An  Auction  Sale  and  Its  Consequences 

SQUIRE  WOODBRIDGE  had  not  failed  to  detect  the  first 
signs  of  decrease  in  the  ebullition  of  the  popular  mind 
after  the  revolt  of  Tuesday,  and  when  by  Friday  and 
Saturday  the  mob  had  apparently  quite  disappeared, 
and  the  village  had  returned  to  its  normal  condition, 
he  assured  himself  that  the  rebellion  was  all  over,  and 
it  only  remained  for  him  and  his  colleagues  cautiously 
to  get  hold  of  the  reins  again,  and  then — then  for  the 
whip.  For  the  similitude  under  which  the  Squire 
oftenest  thought  of  his  fellow-townsmen  was  that  of  a 
team  of  horses  which  he  was  driving.  There  had  been 
a  little  runaway,  and  he  had  been  pitched  out  on  his 
head.  Let  him  once  get  his  grip  on  the  lines  again, 
and  the  whip  in  his  hand,  and  there  should  be  some 
fine  dancing  among  the  leaders,  or  his  name  was  not 
Jahleel  Woodbridge,  and  the  whipping-post  on  the 
green  was  nothing  but  a  rose-bush. 

He  was  in  a  hurry  for  two  reasons  to  get  the  reins 
in  his  hands  again.  In  the  first  place,  for  the  very 
natural  and  obvious  reason  that  he  grudged  every  mo 
ment  of  immunity  from  punishment  enjoyed  by  men 
who  had  put  him  to  such  an  open  shame.  The  other 
and  less  obvious  reason  was  the  expected  return  of 
Squire  Sedgwick  from  Boston.  Sedgwick  had  been 
gone  a  week.  He  might  be  absent  a  week  or  two 
weeks  more,  but  he  might  return  any  day.  One  thing 


180  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

was  evident  to  Jahleel  Woodbridge.  Before  this  man 
returned,  of  whose  growing  and  rival  influence  he  had 
already  so  much  reason  to  be  jealous,  he  must  have 
put  an  end  to  anarchy  in  Stockbridge,  and  once  more 
stand  at  the  head  of  its  government.  Squire  Sedgwick 
had  warned  him  of  the  explosive  state  of  popular  feel 
ing  ;  he  had  resented  that  warning,  and  the  event  had 
proved  his  rival  right.  The  only  thing  now  left  him 
was  to  show  Sedgwick  that,  if  he  had  not  been  able  to 
foresee  the  rebellion,  he  had  been  able  to  suppress  it. 
Nevertheless,  he  would  proceed  cautiously. 

The  red  flag  of  the  sheriff  had  for  some  weeks  waved 
from  the  gable  end  of  a  small  house  on  the  main  street, 
owned  by  a  Baptist  cobbler,  one  David  Joy.  There 
were  a  few  Baptists  among  the  Welsh  iron-workers  at 
West  Stockbridge,  and  some  Methodists,  but  none  of 
either  heresy  save  David  Joy  in  Stockbridge,  which, 
with  this  exception,  was,  as  a  parish,  a  Congregational 
lamb  without  blemish.  No  wonder,  then,  that  David 
was  a  thorn  in  the  side  to  the  authorities  of  the 
church,  nor  was  he  less  despised  by  the  common  people. 
There  was  not  a  drunken  loafer  in  town  who  did  not 
pride  himself  upon  the  fact  that,  though  he  might  be  a 
drunkard,  he  was  at  least  no  Baptist,  but  belonged  to 
the  "Standing  Order."  Meshech  Little,  himself,  who 
believed  and  practised  the  doctrine  of  total  immersion 
in  rum,  had  no  charity  for  one  who  believed  in  total 
immersion  in  water. 

The  date  which  had  been  set  for  the  sale  of  David's 
house  and  goods  chanced  to  be  the  very  Monday  fol 
lowing  the  Sunday  with  whose  religious  services  and 
other  events  the  previous  chapters  have  been  con 
cerned.  It  seemed  to  Squire  Woodbridge  that  David's 
case  would  be  an  excellent  one  with  which  to  inaugu- 


An  Auction  Sale  181 

rate  once  more  the  reign  of  law.  Owing  to  the  social 
isolation  and  unpopularity  of  the  man,  the  proceedings 
against  him  would  be  likely  to  excite  very  little  sym 
pathy  or  agitation  of  any  kind,  and  having  thus  got  the 
machinery  of  the  law  once  more  into  operation,  it  would 
be  easy  enough  to  proceed  thereafter,  without  fear  or 
favor,  against  all  classes  of  debtors  and  evil-doers  in 
the  good  old  way.  Moreover,  it  had  long  been  the  in 
tention  of  those  having  the  interest  of  Zion  at  heart  to 
"freeze  out"  David  Joy  by  this  very  process,  and  to 
that  end  considerable  sanctified  shrewdness  had  been 
expended  in  getting  him  into  debt.  So  that  by  enforc 
ing  the  sale  in  his  case,  two  birds  would,  so  to  speak, 
be  killed  with  one  stone,  and  the  political  and  spiritual 
interests  of  the  parish  would  be  coincidentally  bene 
fited,  making  it  altogether  an  undertaking  on  which 
the  blessing  of  Heaven  might  be  reasonably  looked 
for. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  sale  took  place. 
Everything  worked  as  the  Squire  had  expected.  It 
being  the  general  popular  supposition  that  there  were 
to  be  no  more  sheriffs'  sales,  there  were  no  persons 
present  at  the  auction  save  the  officers  of  the  law  and 
the  gentlemen  who  were  to  bid.  Only  here  and  there 
an  astonished  face  peered  out  of  a  window  at  the  pro 
ceedings,  and  a  knot  of  loafers,  who  had  been  boozing 
away  the  afternoon,  stood  staring  in  the  door  of  the 
tavern.  That  was  all.  There  was  no  crowd,  and  no 
attempt  at  interruption.  But  the  news  that  a  man  had 
been  sold  out  for  debt  spread  fast,  and  by  sunset,  when 
the  men  and  boys  came  home  from  their  farm- work  or 
mechanical  occupations,  numerous  groups  of  excited 
talkers  had  gathered  in  the  streets.  There  was  a  very 
full  meeting  that  night  at  the  tavern. 


1 82  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"I  declare  for  't,"  said  Israel  Goodrich,  with  an  air 
of  mingled  disappointment  and  wrath,  "  I  be  real  put 
aout,  an'  disapp'inted  like.  I  dunno  what  ter  make 
on  't.  I  s'posed  the  trouble  wuz  all  over,  an'  times 
wuz  goin'  ter  be  good  and  folks  live  kind  o'  neighbor 
ly  'thout  no  more  suin',  an'  jailin',  an'  sellin'  aout, 
same  ez  long  from  'seventy-four  to  'eighty.  I  reck 
oned  sure  'nough  them  times  wuz  come  'raound  ag'in, 
an'  here  they've  gone  an'  kicked  the  pot  over,  an'  the 
fat's  in  the  fire  ag'in,  bad's  ever." 

"Darn  'em!  Gosh  darn  'em!  I  say,"  exclaimed  Ab- 
ner.  "  Didn't  they  get  the  idee  what  we  wuz  arter 
when  we  stopped  the  courts?  Did  they  think  we  wuz 
a-foolin'  'baout  it?  That's  what  I  want  some  feller  ter 
tell  me.  Did  they  think  we  wuz  a-foolin'? " 

Abner's  usually  good-humored  face  was  darkly 
flushed,  and  there  was  an  ugly  gleam  in  his  eye  as  he 
spoke. 

"  We  wuz  so  quiet-like  last  week,  they  jedged  we'd 
jest  hed  our  fling  an'  got  over  it.  I  guess  that  wuz 
haow  it  wuz,"  said  Peleg  Bid  well. 

"  Did  they  think  we'd  been  five  year  a-gittin'  our 
dander  up  an'  would  git  over  it  in  a  week? "  demanded 
Abner,  glaring  around.  "  If  't  wuz  'cause  we  wuz  tew 
quiet,  we'll  make  racket  'nough  to  suit  'em  arter  this, 
hey,  boys?  If  racket's  the  only  thing  they  kin  under 
stand,  they  shall  hev  a  plenty  on  't." 

"Israel  thought  it  was  kingdom  come  already,"  said 
Paul  Hubbard,  who  had  hurried  down  from  the  iron 
works  with  a  gang  of  his  myrmidons,  on  receipt 
of  the  news.  "  He  thought  the  silk-stockings  were 
going  to  give  right  in  as  sweet  as  sugar.  Not  by  a 
darned  sight.  No,  sir.  They  aren't  going  to  let  go 
so  easy.  They  aren't  of  that  sort.  They  mean  to 


An  Auction  Sale  183 

have  the  old  times  back  again,  and  they'll  have  them 
back,  too,  unless  you  wake  up  and  show  them  you're  in 
earnest. " 

"  Not  yit  awhile,  by  the  everlastin'  Jupiter !  "  shouted 
Abner.  "  Ef  there's  any  vartue  in  gunpowder  them 
times  shan't  come  back,"  and  there  was  an  answering 
yell  that  shook  the  room. 

"That's  the  talk,  Abner.  Give  us  your  fist,"  said 
Paul,  delighted  to  find  the  people  working  up  to  his 
own  pitch  of  bitter  and  unrelenting  animosity  against 
the  gentlemen.  "  That's  the  talk,  but  it'll  take  more 
than  talk.  Look  here,  men,  three  out  of  four  of  you 
have  done  enough  already  to  get  a  dozen  lashes  on  his 
bare  back,  if  the  silk-stockings  get  on  top  again.  It's 
all  in  a  nutshell.  If  we  don't  keep  them  under  they'll 
keep  us  under.  We've  just  got  to  take  hold  and  raise 
the  devil  with  them.  If  we  don't  give  them  the  devil, 
they'll  give  us  the  devil.  Take  your  choice.  It's  one 
or  the  other. " 

There  was  a  chorus  of  exclamations : 

"That's  so."  "By  gosh!  we're  in  for  't,  an'  we 
might's  well  go  ahead. "  "  Ye're  right,  Paul. "  "  We'll 
git  aout  the  hoss-fiddles  an'  give  'em  some  mewsic." 
"We'll  raise  devil 'nough  fer 'em  ter-night."  "Come 
on,  fellers."  "Le's  give  'em  a  bonfire." 

There  was  a  general  movement  of  the  men  out  of  the 
barroom,  all  talking  together,  clamorously  suggesting 
plans,  or  merely,  as  in  the  case  of  the  younger  men 
and  boys,  venting  their  excitement  in  hoots  and  cat 
calls.  It  was  a  close,  dark  night,  obscure  enough  to 
make  cowards  brave,  and  the  crowd  that  surged  out  of 
the  tavern  were  by  no  means  cowards,  but  angry  and 
resolute  men,  whose  exasperation  at  the  action  of  the 
authorities  was  sharpened  and  pointed  by  well-founded 


184  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

apprehensions  of  the  personal  consequences  to  them 
selves  which  that  action  threatened  if  not  resisted. 
Some  one's  suggestion  that  they  should  begin  by  put 
ting  David  Joy  and  his  family  back  into  their  house 
was  received  with  acclamation,  and  they  were  forth 
with  fetched  from  a  neighboring  shed  under  which 
they  had  encamped  for  the  night,  and  without  much 
ceremony  thrust  into  their  former  residence  and  or 
dered  to  stay  there.  For  although  in  this  case  David 
happened  to  be  identified  with  their  own  cause,  it  went 
against  their  grain  to  help  a  Baptist. 

"Now,  boys,  le's  go  an'  see  Iry  Seymour,"  said  Ab- 
ner,  and  with  a  yell,  the  crowd  rushed  off  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  deputy  sheriff's  house. 

Their  blood  was  up,  and  it  was  perhaps  well  for  that 
official  that  he  did  not  wait  to  be  interviewed.  As  the 
crowd  surged  up  before  the  house,  a  man's  figure  was 
seen  dimly  flitting  across  the  field  behind,  having  ap 
parently  emerged  from  the  back  door.  There  was  a 
yell,  "There  goes  Iry,"  and  half  the  mob  ran  after 
him,  but,  thanks  to  the  darkness,  the  nimble-footed 
sheriff  made  good  his  escape,  and  his  pursuers  present 
ly  returned,  breathless,  but  in  high  good  humor  over 
the  novel  sport,  protesting  that  they  laughed  so  hard 
they  could  not  run. 

The  only  other  important  demonstration  by  the  mob 
that  evening  was  the  tearing  up  of  the  fence  in  front 
of  Squire  Woodbridge's  house  and  the  construction  of 
an  immense  bonfire  in  the  street  out  of  the  fragments, 
the  conflagration  proceeding  to  the  accompaniment  of 
an  obligato  on  the  horse-fiddles. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that,  as  sometimes  happens  in 
such  cases,  Squire  Woodbridge's  first  attempt  to  get 
the  reins  of  the  runaway  team  into  his  hands  had  the 


An  Auction  Sale  185 

effect  of  startling  the  horses  into  a  more  headlong  gal 
lop  than  ever. 

If  the  events  of  the  night,  superadded  to  the  armed 
revolt  of  the  week  before,  left  any  doubt  in  the  most 
sanguine  mind  that  the  present  disturbances  were  no 
mere  local  and  trifling  irritations,  but  a  general  rebel 
lion,  the  news  which  was  in  the  village  early  the  fol 
lowing  morning  must  have  dispelled  it.  This  news 
was,  that  the  week  before  an  armed  mob  of  several 
hundred  had  stopped  the  courts  at  their  meeting  in 
Worcester  and  forced  an  adjournment  for  two  months ; 
that  the  entire  State,  except  the  district  close  around 
Boston,  was  in  a  ferment ;  that  the  people  were  every 
where  arming  and  drilling  and  fully  determined  that 
no  more  courts  should  sit  until  the  distresses  of  the 
times  had  been  remedied.  As  yet  the  State  authorities 
had  taken  no  action  looking  toward  the  suppression  of 
the  insurrection,  in  which,  indeed,  the  great  majority 
of  the  population  appeared  actively  or  sympathetically 
engaged.  The  messenger  reported  that  in  the  lower 
counties  a  sprig  of  hemlock  in  the  hat  had  been  adopted 
as  the  badge  of  the  insurgents,  and  that  the  towns 
through  which  he  had  ridden  seemed  to  have  fairly 
turned  green,  so  universally  did  men,  women  and  chil 
dren  wear  the  hemlock.  The  news  had  not  been  an 
hour  in  Stockbridge  before  every  person  on  the  streets 
had  a  bit  of  hemlock  in  their  hat  or  hair.  I  say  every 
person  upon  the  street,  for  those  who  belonged  to  the 
anti-popular  or  court  party  took  good  care  to  keep 
within  doors  that  morning. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  the  hemlock  ag'in,"  said  Israel  Good 
rich.  "  The  old  pine-tree  flag  wuz  a  good  flag  to  fight 
under.  There  wuz  good  blood  spilt  under  it  in  the 
eld  colony  days.  There  wuz  better  times  in  this  'ere 


1 86  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

province  o'  Massachusetts  Bay  under  the  pine-tree  flag 
than  this  dum  Continental  striped  rag  hez  ever  fetched, 
or  ever  will,  I  reckon. " 

The  dismay  which  the  news  of  the  extent  and  ap 
parent  irresistibleness  of  the  rebellion  produced  among 
those  attached  to  the  court  party  in  Stockbridge  cor 
responded  to  the  exultation  to  which  the  people  gave 
themselves  up.  Nor  did  the  populace  lose  any  time  in 
giving  expression  to  their  bolder  temper  by  overt  acts. 
About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Deputy  Sheriff 
Seymour,  who  had  not  ventured  to  return  to  his  house, 
was  found  concealed  in  the  corn-bin  of  a  barn  near  the 
burying-ground.  A  crowd  instantly  collected  and 
dragged  the  terrified  man  from  his  concealment. 
Some  one  yelled : 

"  Ride  him  on  a  rail,"  and  the  suggestion  finding  an 
echo  in  the  popular  breast,  a  three-cornered  fence  rail 
was  thrust  between  his  legs,  and  lifted  on  men's 
shoulders.  Astride  of  this  sharp-backed  steed,  holding 
on  with  his  hands  for  dear  life,  lest  he  should  fall  off 
and  break  his  neck,  he  was  carried  through  the  main 
streets  of  the  village,  followed  by  a  howling  crowd,  and 
pelted  with  apples  by  the  boys,  while  the  windows  of 
the  houses  along  the  way  were  full  of  laughing  women. 
Having  graced  the  popular  holiday  by  this  involuntary 
exhibition  of  himself,  Seymour  was  allowed  to  escape 
without  suffering  any  further  violence,  the  crowd  ap 
pearing  boisterously  jocose  rather  than  embittered  in 
temper.  Master  Hopkins,  a  young  man  who  had  re 
cently  entered  Squire  Sedgwick's  office  to  study  law, 
was  next  pounced  upon,  having  indiscreetly  ventured  on 
the  street,  and  was  treated  to  a  similar  free  ride,  which 
was  protracted  until  the  youth  purchased  surcease  by 
consenting  to  wear  a  sprig  of  hemlock  in  his  hat. 


An  Auction  Sale  187 

About  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  Squire  Wood- 
bridge,  Deacon  Nash,  and  Doctor  Partridge,  with 
Squire  Edwards  and  several  other  gentlemen,  were  sit 
ting  in  the  back  room  of  the  store.  It  was  a  gloomy 
council.  Woodbridge  quaffed  his  glass  of  rum  in  short, 
quick,  unenjoying  gulps,  and  said  not  a  word.  The 
others  from  time  to  time  dropped  a  phrase  or  two  ex 
pressive  of  the  worst  apprehensions  as  to  what  the  mob 
might  do,  and  entire  discouragement  as  to  the  possibil 
ity  of  doing  anything  to  restrain  them.  Suddenly, 
young  Jonathan  Edwards,  who  was  in  the  outer  room 
tending  store,  cried  out : 

"Father,  the  mob  is  coming!  Shall  I  shut  the 
door? " 

Squire  Edwards  cried  "  Yes, "  and  hastily  went  out  to 
assist,  but  Doctor  Partridge,  with  more  presence  of 
mind  than  the  others  seemed  to  possess  at  that  mo 
ment,  laid  his  hand  on  the  storekeeper's  arm,  say 
ing, 

"  Better  not  shut  the  door.  They  will  tear  the  house 
down  if  you  do.  Resistance  is  out  of  the  question. " 

In  another  moment  a  boisterous  crowd  of  men,  their 
faces  flushed  with  drink,  all  wearing  sprigs  of  hem 
lock  in  their  hats,  came  thronging  up  the  steps  and 
filled  the  store,  those  who  could  not  enter  crowding  the 
piazza  and  grinning  in  at  the  windows.  Edwards  and 
the  other  gentlemen  stood  at  bay  at  the  back  end  of  the 
store,  in  front  of  the  liquor  hogsheads.  Their  bearing 
was  that  of  men  who  expected  personal  violence,  but 
who,  in  a  justifiable  agitation,  did  not  forget  their 
personal  dignity.  But  the  expression  on  the  face  of 
Abner,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  gang,  was  less  one  of 
exasperation  than  of  sardonic  humor. 

"  Good  morninV  he  said. 


1 88  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"Good  morning,  Abner,"  replied  Edwards,  propitiat- 
ingly. 

"  It's  a  good  mornin'  and  it's  good  news  ez  is  come  to 
taown.  I  s'pose  ye  hearn  it  a'ready?  I  thought  so. 
Ye  look  ez  ef  ye  hed.  But  we  didn't  come  ter  talk 
'baout  that.  There  wuz  a  little  misunderstandin'  yis'- 
day  'baout  sellin'  aout  David.  He  ain't  nothin'  but  a 
skunk  of  a  Baptist,  an'  ef  Iry  hed  put  him  in  the  stocks 
or  licked  him  'twould  ha'  sarved  him  right.  But  ye 
see  some  of  the  boys  hev  got  a  notion  ag'in  hevin'  any 
more  fellers  sold  aout  fer  debt,  an*  we've  been  explain- 
in'  our  idee  to  Iry  this  mornin'.  I  guess  he's  got  it 
through  his  head  naow,  Iry  hez.  Ye  see  ef  neighbors 
be  goin'  ter  live  together  peaceable  they've  jest  got  ter 
understand  each  other.  What  do  ye  s'pose  Iry  said? 
He  said  Squire  there  told  him  to  sell  David  aout.  In 
course  we  didn't  b'lieve  that.  Squire  ain't  no  gol- 
darned  fool,  ez  that  would  make  him  aout  ter  be.  He 
know'd  the  men  ez  stopped  the  courts  last  week  would 
n't  be  afeard  o'  stoppin'  a  sheriff.  He  knows  the  folks 
be  in  arnest  'baout  hevin'  an  end  on  suein',  an'  sellin', 
an'  sendin'  ter  jail.  Squire  knows,  an'  ye  all  know, 
that  there'll  be  fightin'  fore  there's  any  more  sellin'." 

Abner  had  grown  excited  as  he  spoke,  and  the  pecul 
iar  twinkle  in  his  eye  had  given  place  to  a  wrathy 
glare  as  he  uttered  the  last  words,  but  this  passed,  and 
it  was  with  his  former  sardonic  grin  that  he  added : 

"  But  Iry  didn't  save  his  hide  by  tryin'  ter  lay  it  off 
onter  Squire,  an'  I  guess  he  won't  try  no  more 
sellin'  aout  right  away,  not  ef  Goramity  told  him 
tew. " 

"Yer  gab's  runnin*  away  with  yer.  Git  to  yer 
p'int,  Abner,"  said  Peleg  Bidwell. 

"Lemme  'lone,  I'm  comin'  'raound,"  replied  Abner. 


An  Auction  Sale  189 

"Ye  wuz  over  t'  the  sale  yis'day,  warn't  ye,  Squire?" 
he  asked,  addressing  Edwards. 

"Yes,  Abner." 

"  Wai,  ye  see,  when  we  come  ter  put  back  David's 
folks  inter  the  haouse  his  woman  missed  the  clock,  and 
somebody  said  ez  haow  yew'd  took  it." 

"  I  bid  it  in,"  said  Edwards,  haughtily. 

"  I  s'pose  ye  clean  forgot  't  wuz  the  only  clock  she 
hed,"  suggested  Abner,  with  a  bland  air  of  accounting 
for  the  other's  conduct  on  the  most  favorable  supposi 
tion. 

As  Edwards  made  no  reply  save  to  grow  rather  red, 
Abner  continued : 

"  In  course  ye  forgot  it,  that's  what  I  told  the  fellers, 
fer  ye  wouldn't  go  and  take  the  only  clock  a  poor  man 
hed  when  ye've  got  a-plenty,  'nless  ye  forgot.  Ye  see 
we  knowed  ye'd  want  ter  send  it  right  back  soon  ez  ye 
thought  o'  that,  and  so  we  jest  called  in  for  't,  calc'lat- 
in'  ter  save  ye  the  trouble." 

"But — but  I  bought  it,"  stammered  Edwards. 

"Sartin,  sartin,"  said  Abner.  "Jest  what  I  said,  ye 
bought  it  'cause  ye  clean  forgot  it  wuz  David's  only 
one,  an*  he  poor  an'  yew  rich.  Crypus!  Squire,  ye 
hain't  got  no  call  ter  explain  it  tew  us.  Ye  see,  we 
know  yer  ways,  Squire.  We  know  how  apt  ye  be  ter 
forgit  jest  that  way.  We  kin  make  allowances  fer  ye." 

Edwards's  forehead  was  crimson. 

"There's  the  clock,"  he  said  abruptly,  pointing  to  it 
where  it  lay  on  the  counter.  Abner  took  it  up  and  put 
it  under  his  arm,  saying, 

"  David  '11  be  'bliged  to  ye,  Squire,  when  I  tell  him 
how  cheerful  ye  sent  it  back.  Some  o'  the  fellers,"  he 
pursued  with  an  affectation  of  a  confidential  tone, 
"some  o'  the  fellers  said  mebbe  ye  wouldn't  send  it 


190  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

back  cheerful.  They  said  ye'd  got  no  more  compas 
sion  fer  the  poor  than  a  flint  stun.  They  said,  them 
fellers  did,  that  ye'd  never  in  yer  life  let  up  on  a  man 
as  owed  ye,  an'  would  take  a  feller's  last  drop  o'  blood 
sooner'n  lose  a  penny  debt.  They  said,  them  fellers 
did,  that  yer  hands,  white  ez  they  look,  wuz  red  with 
the  blood  o'  them  that  ye'd  sent  to  die  in  jail." 

Abner's  voice  had  risen  to  a  tremendous  crescendo 
of  indignation,  and  he  seemed  on  the  point  of  quite 
forgetting  his  ironical  affectation,  when,  with  an  effort 
which  added  to  the  effect,  he  checked  himself,  and  re 
suming  his  former  tone  and  grin,  he  added : 

"  I  argyed  with  them  fellers  ez  said  them  things  'baout 
ye.  I  told  'em  haow  it  couldn't  be  so,  'cause  ye  wuz  a 
deacon,  an'  hed  family  prayers,  and  could  pray  most  ez 
long  ez  parson.  But  I  couldn't  do  nothin'  with  'em, 
they  wuz  so  sot.  Why,  them  fellers  act'lly  said  ye  took 
this  'ere  clock  a-knowin'  that  it  wuz  David's  only  one, 
when  ye  hed  a-plenty  o'  yer  own,  tew.  Jest  think  o' 
that,  Squire !  What  a  hoggish  old  hunks  they  took  ye 
fer,  didn't  they,  naow? "  Edwards  glared  at  his  tor 
mentor  with  a  countenance  red  and  white  with  speech 
less  rage,  but  Abner  appeared  as  unconscious  of  any 
thing  peculiar  in  his  manner  as  he  did  of  the  snickers 
of  the  men  behind  him.  Having  concluded  his  re 
marks,  he  blandly  bade  the  gentlemen  good  morning 
and  left  the  store,  followed  by  his  gang,  the  suppressed 
risibilities  of  the  party  rinding  expression  in  long  con 
tinued  and  uproarious  laughter  as  soon  as  they  reached 
the  outer  air.  After  leaving  the  store  they  called  on 
all  the  gentlemen  who  had  bidden  in  anything  at  the 
sale,  reclaimed  every  article,  one  after  another,  and  re 
turned  them  to  David. 

If  any  of  the  court  party  had  flattered  themselves 


An  Auction  Sale  191 

that  this  mob,  like  that  of  the  week  before,  would, 
after  making  an  uproar  for  a  day  or  two,  disappear  and 
leave  the  community  in  quiet,  they  were  destined  to 
disappointment.  The  popular  exasperation  and  appre 
hension  which  the  Squire's  ill-starred  attempt  to  regain 
authority  had  produced,  gave  to  the  elements  of  an 
archy  in  the  village  a  new  cohesive  force  and  impulse, 
while,  thanks  to  the  news  of  the  spread  and  success  of 
the  rebellion  elsewhere,  the  lawless  were  encouraged 
by  entire  confidence  of  impunity.  From  this  day,  in 
fact,  it  might  be  said  that  anarchy  was  organized  in 
the  village. 

There  were  two  main  elements  in  the  mob.  One, 
the  most  dangerous,  and  with  the  real  element  of 
strength  in  it,  was  composed  of  a  score  or  two  of  men 
whom  the  stoppage  of  the  courts  had  come  too  late  to 
help.  Their  property  all  gone,  they  had  been  reduced 
to  the  condition  of  loafers,  without  stake  in  the  com 
munity.  Having  no  farms  of  their  own  to  work  on, 
and  the  demand  for  laborers  being  limited,  they  had 
nothing  to  do  all  day  but  to  lounge  around  the  tavern, 
drinking  when  they  could  get  drinks,  sneering  at  the 
silk-stockings,  and  debating  how  further  to  discomfit 
them.  The  other  element  of  the  mob,  the  most  mis 
chievous,  although  not  so  seriously  formidable,  was 
composed  of  boys  and  half -grown  youths,  who  less  out 
of  malice  against  the  court  party  than  out  of  mere  love 
of  frolic,  availed  themselves  to  the  utmost  of  the  oppor 
tunity  to  play  off  pranks  on  the  richer  class  of  citizens. 
Bands  of  them  ranged  the  streets  from  twilight  till 
midnight,  robbing  orchards,  building  bonfires  out  of 
fences,  opening  barns  and  letting  the  cows  into  the 
gardens,  stealing  the  horses  for  midnight  races,  after 
ward  leaving  them  to  find  their  way  home  as  they 


192  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

could,  tying  strings  across  the  streets  to  trip  up  way 
farers,  stoning  windows,  and  generally  making  life  a 
burden  for  their  victims  by  an  ingenious  variety  of 
petty  outrages.  Nor  were  the  persons  even  of  the 
unpopular  class  always  spared.  In  the  daytime  it  was 
tolerably  safe  for  one  of  them  to  go  abroad,  but  after 
dark,  let  him  beware  of  unripe  apples  and  overripe 
egg"8-  For  the  most  part  the  silk-stockings  kept  their 
houses  in  the  evening,  as  much  for  their  own  protec 
tion  as  for  that  of  their  families,  and  the  more  prudent 
of  them  sat  in  the  dark  until  bedtime,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  lighted  windows  were  a  favorite  mark  with 
the  boys. 

The  mob  had  dubbed  itself  "  The  Regulators,"  a  title 
well  enough  deserved,  indeed,  by  the  extent  to  which 
they  undertook  to  reorganize  the  property  interests  of 
the  community.  For  the  theory  of  the  reclamation  of 
property  carried  out  in  the  case  of  the  goods  of  David 
Joy  by  no  means  stopped  there.  It  was  presently  given 
an  ex  post  facto  application,  and  made  to  cover  articles 
of  property  which  had  changed  hands  at  sheriffs'  sales 
not  only  since,  but  also  previous  to  the  stoppage  of  the 
courts.  Wherever,  in  fact,  a  horse  or  a  cart,  a  har 
ness,  a  yoke  of  oxen,  or  a  piece  of  furniture  had  passed 
from  the  ownership  of  a  poor  man  to  the  possession  of 
a  rich  man  and  one  of  the  court  party,  the  original 
owner  now  reclaimed  it,  if  so  disposed,  and  so  effectual 
was  the  mob  terrorism  in  the  village  that  such  a  claim 
was  usually,  with  better  or  worse  grace,  allowed. 

Nor  was  the  application  of  this  doctrine  of  the  resti 
tution  of  all  things  even  confined  to  personal  property. 
Many  of  the  richer  class  of  citizens  occupied  houses 
acquired  by  harsh  foreclosures  since  the  dearth  of  cir 
culating  medium  had  placed  debtors  at  the  mercy  of 


An  Auction  Sale  193 

creditors.  A  few  questions  as  to  when  they  were 
thinking  of  moving  out,  with  an  intimation  that  the 
neighbors  were  ready  to  assist  them  if  it  appeared  nec 
essary,  was  generally  hint  enough  to  secure  a  prompt 
vacating  of  the  premises,  though  now  and  then  when 
the  occupants  were  unusually  obstinate  and  refused  to 
"  take  a  joke  "  there  were  rather  rough  proceedings. 
Among  those  thus  ejected  was  Solomon  Gleason,  the 
schoolmaster,  who  had  been  living  in  the  house  which 
George  Fennell  had  formerly  owned.  In  this  case, 
however,  the  house  remained  vacant,  George  being  too 
weak  to  be  moved. 

When  Friday  night  came  around  again,  there  was  a 
tremendous  carouse  at  the  tavern,  in  the  midst  of 
which  the  Widow  Bingham,  rendered  desperate  by  the 
demands  for  rum — demands  which  she  did  not  dare  to 
refuse  for  fear  of  provoking  the  mob  to  gut  her  estab 
lishment — finally  exclaimed : 

"  Why  don't  ye  go  over  t'  the  store  an'  let  Squire 
Edwards  stan'  treat  awhile?  What's  the  use  o'  makin' 
me  dew  it  all?  He's  got  better  liquor  nor  I  hev  an* 
more  on  't,  an*  he  ain't  a  poor  lone  widder  nuther, 
without  nobody  ter  Stan'  up  fer  her,"  and  the  widow 
pointed  her  appeal  by  beginning  to  weep,  which,  as 
she  was  a  buxom,  well-favored  woman,  made  a  decided 
impression  on  the  crowd. 

Abner,  who  was  drunk  as  a  king,  instantly  declared 
that  "  By  the  everlastin'  Jehu,"  he'd  break  the  head  of 
the  "  fust  dum  Nimshi "  that  asked  for  another  drink, 
which  brought  the  potations  of  the  company  to  a  sud 
den  check.  Presently  Meshech  Little  observed: 

"  Come  'long,  fellersh,  lesh  go  ter  the  store.  Whosh 
'fraid?  I  ain't."  There  was  a  chorus  of  thick-tongued 
protestations  of  equal  valor,  and  the  crowd  reeled  out 
13 


194  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

after  Meshech.     Abner  was  left  alone  with  the  widow. 

"  I'm  real  beholden  to  ye,  Abner  Rathbun,  fer  stand- 
in*  up  fer  me,"  said  she  warmly,  "an7  Seliny  Bingham 
ain't  one  ter  ferget  a  favor  nuther. " 

"  I'd  ha'  smashed  the  snoot  o'  the  fust  one  on  'em  ez 
ast  fer  any  more.  I'd  ha*  knocked  his  lights  out  o' 
him,  I  don't  keer  who  't  wuz,"  declared  Abner,  his 
valor  still  further  inflamed  by  the  gratitude  which 
sparkled  from  the  widow's  fine  eyes. 

"  Lemme  mix  ye  a  leetle  rum  'n  sugar,  Abner.  It'll 
dew  ye  good,"  said  the  widow.  "  I  hope  ye  didn't  take 
none  o'  that  to  yerself,  what  I  said  ter  the  rest  on  'em. 
I'm  sure  I  don't  grudge  ye  a  drop  ye've  ever  hed, 
'cause  I  know  ye  be  a  nice  stiddy  man,  an'  I  feel 
safer  like  when  ye  be  araound.  There,  naow,  jest  try 
that  an'  see  ef  it's  mixed  right." 

Abner  did  try  that,  and  more  subsequently,  and 
sweet  smiles  and  honeyed  words  therewith,  the  upshot 
of  all  which  was  the  conclusion  that  evening  of  a  treaty 
of  Dalliance,  the  tacitly  understood  conditions  being  that 
Abner  should  stand  by  the  widow  and  see  that  she  was 
not  put  upon,  in  return  for  which  the  widow  would  see 
that  he  was  not  left  thirsty,  and  if  this  understanding 
was  sealed  with  a  kiss  snatched  by  one  of  the  contract 
ing  parties  as  the  other  leaned  too  far  over  the  bar 
with  the  fourth  tumbler  of  rum  and  sugar,  why,  it  was 
all  the  more  likely  to  be  faithfully  observed.  That  the 
widow  was  a  fine  woman  Abner  had  previously  ob 
served,  but  any  natural  feeling  which  this  observation 
might  have  excited  had  been  kept  in  check  by  the  con 
sciousness  of  a  long  unsettled  score.  The  woman  was 
merged  in  the  landlady,  the  sex  in  the  creditor.  Seeing 
that  there  is  no  more  ecstatic  experience  known  to  the 
soul  than  the  melting  of  awe  into  a  tenderer  sentiment, 


An  Auction  Sale  195 

it  will  not  be  wondered  at  that  Abner  lingered  over  his 
twofold  inebriation  until  at  nine  o'clock  the  widow  said 
that  she  must  really  shut  up  the  tavern. 

His  surprise  was  great  on  passing  the  store  to  see  it 
still  lighted  up,  and  a  crowd  of  men  inside,  while  from 
the  apartments  occupied  by  the  Edwards  family  came 
the  tinkling  of  Desire's  piano.  Going  in,  he  found  the 
store  filled  with  drunken  men,  and  the  back  room 
crowded  with  drinkers,  whom  young  Jonathan  Ed 
wards  was  serving  with  liquor,  while  the  Squire  was 
walking  about  with  a  worn  and  anxious  face,  seeing 
that  there  was  no  stealing  of  his  goods.  As  he  saw 
Abner  he  said,  making  a  pathetic  attempt  to  affect  a 
little  dignity: 

"  I've  been  treating  the  men  to  a  little  liquor,  but  it's 
rather  late,  and  I  should  like  to  get  them  out.  You 
have  some  control  over  them,  I  believe.  May  I  ask 
you  to  send  them  out?  " 

In  the  pressure  of  the  present  emergency,  the  poor 
man  appeared  to  have  forgotten  the  insults  which  Ab 
ner  had  heaped  upon  him  a  few  days  before,  and  Ab 
ner  himself,  who  was  in  high  good  humor,  and  really 
felt  almost  sorry  for  the  proud  man  before  him,  replied : 

"Sartin,  Squire.  I'll  git  'em  aout,  but  what's  the 
peeanner  a-goin'  fer? " 

"  The  men  thought  they  would  like  to  hear  it,  and 
my  daughter  was  kind  enough  to  play  a  little  for 
them,"  said  Edwards,  his  face  flushing  again,  even 
after  the  mortifications  of  the  evening,  at  the  necessity 
of  thus  confessing  his  powerlessness  to  resist  the  most 
insulting  demands  of  the  rabble. 

Abner  passed  through  the  door  in  the  back  room  of 
the  store,  which  opened  into  the  living-room,  a  richly 
carpeted  apartment,  with  fine  oaken  furniture  imported 


196  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

from  England.  The  parlor  beyond  was  even  more  ex 
pensively  furnished  and  decorated.  Flat  on  his  back, 
in  the  middle  of  the  parlor  carpet,  was  stretched 
Meshech  Little,  dead  drunk.  In  nearly  every  chair 
was  a  barefooted,  coatless  lout,  drunk  and  snoring, 
with  his  hat  over  his  eyes,  and  his  legs  stretched  out, 
or  vacantly  staring  with  open  mouth  at  Desire,  who, 
with  a  face  like  ashes  and  the  air  of  an  automaton,  was 
playing  the  piano. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
Plots  and  Counterplots 

ON  the  day  following,  which  was  Saturday,  at  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Perez  Hamlin  was  at 
work  in  the  yard  behind  the  house,  shoeing  his  horse 
in  preparation  for  the  start  West  the  next  week. 
Horse-shoeing  was  an  accomplishment  he  had  acquired 
in  the  army,  and  he  had  no  shillings  to  waste  in  hiring 
others  to  do  anything  he  could  do  himself.  As  he  let 
the  last  hoof  out  from  between  his  knees  and  stood 
up,  he  saw  Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps  coming 
across  the  yard  toward  him.  Ezra  wore  his  working 
suit,  sprinkled  with  the  meal  dust  of  his  grist-mill,  and 
Israel  had  on  a  long  blue  woolen  farmer's  smock, 
reaching  to  his  knees,  and  carried  in  his  hand  a  hick 
ory-handled  whip  with  a  long  lash,  indicating  that  he 
had  come  in  his  cart,  which  he  had  presumably  left 
hitched  to  the  rail  fence  in  front  of  the  house.  After 
breaking  ground  by  a  few  comments  on  the  points  of 
Perez's  horse,  Israel  opened  the  subject  of  the  visit,  as 
follows : 

"  Ye  see,  Perez,  I  wuz  over  t'  Mill  Holler  arter  a  grist 
o'  buckwheat,  an'  me  'n  Ezry  got  ter  talkin'  'baout  the 
way  things  wuz  goin'  in  the  village.  I  s'pose  ye've 
hearn  o'  the  goin's  on." 

"Very  little,  indeed,"  said  Perez.  "I  have  scarcely 
been  out  of  the  yard  this  week, — I've  been  hard  at 
work.  But  I've  heard  considerable  racket  nights." 


198  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"Wai,"  said  Israel,  "the  long  an'  short  on  't  is  the 
fellers  be  raisin'  the  old  Harry,  an'  it's  time  somebody 
said  whoa.  I've  been  a-talkin'  ter  Abner  'baout  it, 
an'  so's  Ezry,  but  Abner  ain't  the  same  feller  he  wuz. 
He's  tight  most  o'  the  time  naow,  an'  he  says  he  don't 
keer  a  darn  haow  bad  they  treats  the  silk-stockin's. 
Turn  abaout  's  fair  play,  he  says,  an'  he  only  larfed 
when  I  told  him  some  o'  the  mischief  the  fellers  wuz 
up  tew.  An'  yew  said,  Ezry,  he  talked  jest  so  to  yew." 

"  Sartin,  he  did,"  said  Ezra.  "  Ye  see,"  he  continued 
to  Perez,  "me  an'  Isr'el  be  men  o'  prop'ty,  an'  we  jined 
the  folks  ag'in  the  courts  'cause  we  seen  they  wuz  be- 
in'  'bused.  There  warn't  no  sense  in  makin'  folks  pay 
debts  when  there  warn't  no  money  in  circulation  to 
pay  'em.  'T  wuz  jest  like  makin'  them  'ere  chil'ren  of 
Isr'el  make  bricks  'thout  no  straw.  I  allers  said,  an' 
I  allers  will  say,"  and  the  glitter  that  came  into  Ezra's 
eye  indicated  that  he  felt  the  inspiring  bound  of  his 
hobby  beneath  him,  "ef  gov'ment  makes  folks  pay 
their  debts,  gov'ment's  baound  ter  see  they  hez  sun- 
thin'  ter  pay  'em  with.  I  say  that's  plain  ez  a  pike 
staff.  An'  it's  jest  so  with  taxes.  Ef  gov'ment " 

"Sartin,  sartin,"  interrupted  Israel,  quietly  choking 
him  off,  "  but  le's  stick  ter  what  we  wuz  a-sayin',  Ezry. 
Things  be  a-goin'  tew  fur,  ye  see,  Perez.  We  took 
part  with  the  poor  folks  when  they  wuz  bein'  'bused, 
but  I  declar'  for  't,  it  looks  ez  though  we'd  hev  ter 
take  part  with  the  silk-stockin's  putty  soon,  at  the  rate 
things  be  a-goin'.  It's  a  reg'lar  see-saw.  Fust  the  rich 
folks'  eend  wuz  up  too  fur,  and  naow  it's  t'other  way." 

"They  be  a-burnin'  fences  every  night,"  said  Ezra, 
"  an'  they'll  hev  the  hull  town  afire  one  o'  these  days. 
I  don't  b'lieve  in  destroyin'  prop'ty.  There  ain't  no 
sense  in  that.  That  air  Paul  Hubbard's  wuss  'n  Ab- 


Plots  and  Counterplots  199 

ner.  Abner  he  jest  larfs  an'  don't  keer,  but  Paul  he's 
that  riled  ag'in  the  silk-stockin's  that  he  seems  fairly 
crazy.  He's  daown  from  the  iron-works  with  his  gang 
every  night,  eggin'  on  the  fellers  ter  burn  fences,  an' 
stone  houses,  an'  he  wuz  act'lly  tryin'  ter  git  the  boys 
ter  tar  and  feather  Squire,  t'other  night.  They  didn't 
quite  dass  dew  that,  but  there  ain't  no  tellin'  what 
they'll  come  tew  yit." 

"Ye  see,  Perez,"  said  Israel,  at  last  getting  to  the 
point,  "  we  thought  yew  might  dew  suthin'  ter  kind  o' 
stop  'em  ef  ye'd  take  a  holt.  Abner  '11  hear  ter  yew, 
an'  all  on  'em  would.  I  don't  see's  nobody  else  in 
taown  kin  dew  nothin'.  Ezry  an'  me  wuz  a-talkin' 
'baout  ye  over  t'  the  mill,  an'  Ezry  says,  *  Le's  go  over 
ter  see  him,'  I  says,  'Git  right  inter  my  cart,  an'  we'll 
go,'  an'  so  here  we  be." 

"I  can't  very  well  mix  in,  you  see,"  replied  Perez, 
"  for  I'm  going  to  leave  town  for  good  the  first  of  the 
week." 

"Where  be  ye  goin'?" 

"  I'm  going  to  take  father  and  mother  and  Reuben 
over  the  York  line,  to  New  Lebanon,  and  then  I'm 
going  on  to  the  Chenango  purchase  to  clear  a  farm  and 
settle  with  them. " 

"Sho!  I  want  ter  know,"  exclaimed  Israel,  scratch 
ing  his  head.  "  Wall,  I  swow,"  he  added,  thoughtfully, 
"  I  don't  blame  ye  a  mite,  arter  all.  This  ere  State  o' 
Massachusetts  Bay  ain't  no  place  fer  a  poor  man  sence 
the  war,  an'  ye'll  find  lots  o'  Stockbridge  folks  out  ter 
Chenango.  There's  a  lot  moved  out  there. " 

"  Ef  I  wuz  ten  year  younger  I'd  go  'long  with  ye," 
said  Ezra,  "  darned  ef  I  wouldn't.  I  jedge  there  must 
be  a  right  good  chance  fer  a  grist-mill  out  there. " 

"Wai,  Ezry,"  said  Israel,  after  a  pause,  "I  don't  see 


2oo  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

but  what  we've  hed  our  trouble  fer  nothing  an*  I  de- 
clar'  I  dunno  what's  goin'  ter  be  did.  The  silk-stock- 
in 's  be  a- try  in'  ter  fetch  back  the  old  times,  an'  the 
people  be  a-raisin'  Cain,  an'  what's  a-goin  ter  come  on  't 
Gor amity  only  knows.  Come  'long,  Ezry,"  and  the 
two  old  men  went  sorrowfully  away. 

It  seems  that  Israel  and  Ezra  were  not  the  only  per 
sons  in  Stockbridge  whose  minds  turned  to  Perez  as 
the  only  available  force  which  could  restrain  the  mob, 
and  end  the  reign  of  lawlessness  in  the  village.  Scarce 
ly  had  those  worthies  departed  when  Doctor  Partridge 
rode  around  into  the  back  yard  and  approached  the 
young  man. 

"I  come  to  you,"  he  said,  without  any  preliminary 
beating  about  the  bush,  "  as  the  recognized  leader  of 
the  people  in  this  insurrection,  to  demand  of  you,  as 
an  honest  fellow,  that  you  do  something  to  stop  the 
outrages  of  your  gang. " 

"  If  I  was  their  leader  the  other  day,  I  am  so  no 
longer,"  replied  Perez,  coldly.  "  They  are  not  my  fol 
lowers.  It  is  none  of  my  business  what  they  do." 

"Yes,  it  is,"  said  Doctor  Partridge,  sharply.  "You 
can't  throw  off  the  responsibility  that  way.  But  for 
you,  the  rebellion  here  would  never  have  gained  head 
way.  You  can't  drop  the  business  now  and  wash  your 
hands  of  it. " 

"  I  don't  care  to  wash  my  hands  of  it,"  replied  Perez, 
sternly.  "  I  don't  know  what  the  men  have  done  of 
late,  for  I  have  stayed  at  home,  but  no  doubt  those 
who  suffer  from  their  doings  deserve  it  all,  and  more 
too.  Even  if  I  were  to  stay  in  Stockbridge,  I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  interfere.  The  people  have  a 
right  to  avenge  their  wrongs.  But  I  am  going  away 
the  coming  week.  My  only  concern  in  the  rebellion 


Plots  and  Counterplots  201 

was  the  release  of  my  brother,  and  now  I  propose  to 
take  him  and  my  father  and  mother  out  of  this  ac 
cursed  Commonwealth,  and  leave  you,  whose  oppres 
sion  and  cruelties  have  provoked  the  rebellion,  to  deal 
with  it." 

"  Do  you  consider  that  an  honorable  course,  Captain 
Hamlin?"  The  young  man's  face  flushed,  and  he  an 
swered  angrily : 

"  Shall  I  stay  here  to  protect  men  who,  the  moment 
they  are  able,  will  throw  my  brother  into  jail  and  send 
me  to  the  gallows?  Have  you,  sir,  the  assurance  to 
tell  me  that  is  my  duty? " 

The  doctor  for  a  moment  found  it  difficult  to  reply 
to  this,  and  Perez  went  on,  with  increasing  bitter 
ness  : 

"  You  have  sown  the  wind,  you  are  reaping  the  whirl 
wind.  Why  should  I  interfere?  You  have  had  no  pity 
on  the  poor;  why  should  they  have  pity  on  you?  In 
stead  of  having  the  face  to  ask  me  to  stay  here  and 
protect  you,  rather  be  thankful  that  I  am  willing  to  go 
and  leave  unavenged  the  wrongs  which  my  father's 
family  has  suffered  at  your  hands.  Be  careful  how 
you  hinder  my  going."  The  doctor,  apparently  infer 
ring  from  the  bitter  tone  of  the  young  man,  and  the 
hard,  steely  gleam  in  his  blue  eyes,  that  perhaps  there 
was  something  to  be  considered  in  his  last  words, 
turned  his  horse's  head  without  a  word,  and  went 
away,  like  the  two  envoys  who  had  preceded  him. 

The  doctor  was  disappointed.  Without  knowing 
much  of  Perez,  he  had  gained  a  strong  impression  from 
what  little  he  had  seen  of  him  that  he  was  of  a  frank, 
impulsive  temperament,  sudden  and  fierce  in  quarrel, 
perhaps,  but  incapable  of  a  brooding  revengefulness, 
and  most  unlikely  to  cherish  continued  animosity 


2O2  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

toward  enemies  who  were  at  his  mercy.  And  as  I 
would  not  have  the  reader  do  the  young  man  injustice 
in  his  mind,  I  hasten  to  say  that  the  doctor's  view  of 
his  character  was  not  far  out  of  the  way.  The  hard 
complacency  with  which  he  just  now  regarded  the 
calamities  of  the  gentlefolk  of  the  town  had  its  origin 
in  the  constant  and  bitter  brooding  of  the  past  week 
over  Desire's  treatment  of  him.  The  sense  of  being 
looked  down  on  by  her,  as  a  fine  lady,  and  his  respect 
ful  passion  despised,  had  been  teaching  him  during  the 
past  few  days  a  bitterness  of  caste  jealousy  which  had 
never  before  been  known  to  his  genial  temper.  He 
was  trying  to  forget  his  love  for  her  in  hatred  for  her 
class.  He  was  getting  to  feel  toward  the  silk-stockings 
a  little  as  Paul  Hubbard  felt. 

Probably  one  of  this  generation  of  New  Englanders, 
who  could  have  been  placed  in  Stockbridge  the  day 
following,  would  have  deemed  it  a  very  quiet  Sabbath 
indeed.  But  what,  by  our  lax  modern  standards,  seem 
very  venial  sins  of  Sabbath-breaking,  if  indeed  any 
such  sins  be  now  recognized  at  all,  to  that  generation 
were  heinous  and  heaven-daring.  The  conduct  of  cer 
tain  reckless  individuals  that  Sabbath  did  more  perhaps 
to  shock  the  public  mind  than  anything  that  had  hither 
to  occurred  in  the  course  of  the  revolt.  For  instance, 
divers  young  men  were  seen  openly  walking  about  the 
streets  with  their  sweethearts  during  meeting-time, 
laughing  and  talking  in  a  noisy  manner,  and  evidently 
bent  merely  on  pleasure.  It  was  credibly  reported 
that  one  man,  without  any  attempt  at  concealment, 
rode  down  to  Great  Barrington  to  make  a  visit  of 
recreation  upon  his  friends.  Several  other  persons, 
presumably  for  similar  profane  purposes,  walked  out 
to  Lee  and  Lenox  furnaces,  to  the  prodigious  scandal 


Plots  and  Counterplots  203 

of  the  dwellers  along  those  roads.  As  if  this  were  not 
enough  iniquity  for  one  day,  there  were  whispers  that 
Abner  Rathbun  and  Meshech  Little  had  gone  a-fish- 
ing.  This  rumor  was  not,  indeed,  fully  substantiated, 
but  the  mere  fact  that  it  found  circulation  and  some  to 
credit  it,  was  in  itself  striking  evidence  of  the  agitated 
and  abnormal  condition  of  the  public  mind. 

Toward  sunset  the  news  reached  Stockbridge  of  yet 
another  rebel  victory  in  the  lower  counties.  The 
Monday  preceding,  three  hundred  armed  farmers  had 
marched  into  the  town  of  Concord,  and  prevented  the 
sitting  of  the  courts  of  Middlesex  county.  The  weak 
ness  of  the  government  was  shown  by  the  fact  that, 
although  ample  warning  of  the  intentions  of  the  rebels 
had  been  given,  no  opposition  to  them  was  attempted. 
The  Governor  had,  indeed,  at  first  ordered  the  militia 
to  arms,  but  through  apprehension  of  their  unfaithful 
ness  had  subsequently  countermanded  the  order.  The 
fact  that  the  rebellion  had  manifested  such  strength 
and  boldness  within  a  few  hours'  march  of  Boston,  the 
capital  of  the  State,  was  an  important  element  in  the 
elation  which  the  tidings  produced  among  the  people. 
It  showed  that  the  western  counties  were  not  alone 
engaged  in  the  insurrection,  but  that  the  people  all 
over  the  State  were  making  common  cause  against  the 
courts  and  the  party  that  upheld  them. 

The  jubilation  produced  by  this  intelligence,  com 
bining  with  the  usual  reaction  at  sunset  after  the  re 
pression  of  the  day,  caused  that  evening  a  general 
pandemonium  of  tin-pans,  bonfires,  mischief  of  all 
sorts,  and  the  usual  concomitant  of  unlimited  drunken 
ness.  In  the  midst  of  the  uproar,  the  wife  of  Squire 
Woodbridge  died.  The  violence  of  the  mob  was  such, 
however,  that  Squire  Edwards  did  not  dare  to  avail 


204  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

himself  of  even  the  excuse  of  his  sister's  death  for  re 
fusing  to  furnish  liquor  to  the  crowd. 

The  funeral  took  place  on  Tuesday.  It  was  the 
largest  and  most  imposing  that  had  occurred  in  the 
village  for  a  long  time.  The  prominence  of  both  the 
families  concerned  procured  the  attendance  of  all  the 
gentry  of  Southern  Berkshire.  I  employ  an  English 
phrase  to  describe  a  class  for  which,  in  our  modern 
democratic  New  England,  there  is  no  counterpart. 
The  Stoddards,  Littles,  and  Wendells,  of  Pittsfield, 
were  represented.  Colonel  Ashley  was  there  from 
Sheffield,  Justices  Dwight  and  Whiting  from  Great 
Barrington,  and  Barker  from  Lanesborough,  with 
many  more.  The  carriages,  some  of  them  bearing 
coats  of  arms  upon  their  panels,  made  a  fine  array, 
which,  not  less  than  the  richly  attired  dames  and 
gentlemen  who  descended  from  them,  impressed  a 
temporary  awe  upon  even  the  most  seditious  and 
democratically  inclined  of  the  staring  populace.  The 
six  pall-bearers,  adorned  with  scarves  and  mourning 
rings,  were  Chief-Justice  Dwight,  Colonel  Elijah  Wil 
liams  of  West  Stockbridge,  the  founder  and  owner  of 
the  iron-works  there,  Doctor  Sergeant  of  Stockbridge, 
Captain  Solomon  Stoddard,  commander  of  the  Stock- 
bridge  militia,  Oliver  Wendell,  of  Pittsfield,  and  Henry 
W.  Dwight,  the  county  treasurer.  There  were  not  in 
the  town  alone  enough  families  to  have  furnished  six 
pall-bearers  of  satisfactory  social  rank.  For  while  all 
men  of  liberal  education  or  profession,  or  such  as  held 
prominent  offices,  were  recognized  as  gentlemen  in 
sharp  distinction  from  the  common  people ;  yet  the  ma 
jority  of  even  these  were  looked  down  upon  by  the 
county  families  of  long  pedigree  and  large  estate.  The 
Partridges,  Doctor  Sergeant,  the  Dwights,  the  Wil- 


Plots  and  Counterplots  205 

Harrises,  the  Stoddards,  and  of  course  his  brother-in- 
law  Edwards,  were  the  only  men  in  the  town  whom 
Jahleel  Woodbridge  regarded  as  belonging  to  his  own 
caste.  Even  Theodore  Sedgwick,  despite  his  high 
public  offices,  he  affected  to  consider  entitled  to  social 
equality  chiefly  by  virtue  of  his  having  married  a 
Dwight. 

After  the  funeral  service  Squire  Woodbridge  man 
aged  to  whisper  a  few  words  in  the  ears  of  a  dozen  or 
so  of  the  gentlemen  present,  the  tenor  of  which,  to  the 
great  surprise  of  those  addressed,  was  a  request  that 
they  would  call  on  him  that  evening  after  dark,  taking 
care  to  come  alone  and  to  attract  as  little  attention  as 
possible.  Each  one  supposed  himself  alone  to  have 
been  invited,  and  on  being  met  at  the  door  by  Squire 
Woodbridge  and  ushered  into  the  study,  was  surprised 
to  find  the  room  full  of  gentlemen.  Doctors  Partridge 
and  Sergeant,  and  Squire  Edwards  were  there,  Captain 
Stoddard,  Sheriff  Seymour,  Tax  Collector  Williams, 
Solomon  Gleason,  John  Bacon,  Esquire,  General 
Pepoon  and  numerous  other  lawyers,  County  Treas 
urer  Dwight,  Deacon  Nash,  Ephraim  Williams,  Es 
quire,  Sedgwick's  law-partner,  Captain  Jones,  the 
militia  commissary  of  Stockbridge,  at  whose  house 
the  town  stock  of  arms  and  ammunition  was  stored, 
and  several  others. 

When  all  had  assembled,  Woodbridge,  having  satis 
fied  himself  that  there  were  no  spies  lurking  about  the 
garden,  and  that  the  gathering  had  not  attracted  atten 
tion  to  the  house,  proceeded  to  close  the  blinds  of  the 
study  windows  and  draw  the  curtains.  He  then  drew 
a  piece  of  printed  paper  from  his  pocket,  opened  it, 
and  broached  the  matter  in  hand  to  the  wondering 
company,  as  follows: 


206  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  The  awful  suggestions  with  which  the  recent  visita 
tion  of  God  has  invested  my  house  for  the  time  being, 
have  enabled  us  to  meet  to-night  without  danger  that 
our  deliberations  will  be  interrupted,  either  by  the 
curiosity  or  the  violence  of  the  rabble.  For  this  one 
night,  the  first  for  many  weeks,  they  have  left  me  in 
peace,  and  I  deem  it  is  no  desecration  of  the  beloved 
memory  of  my  departed  companion  that  we  should 
avail  ourselves  of  so  melancholy  an  opportunity  to  take 
counsel  for  the  restoration  of  law  and  order  in  this 
sorely  troubled  community.  I  have  this  day  received 
from  his  Excellency,  the  Governor,  and  the  honorable 
council  at  Boston,  a  proclamation,  directed  to  all  jus 
tices,  sheriffs,  jurors,  and  citizens,  authorizing  and 
strictly  commanding  them  to  suppress,  by  force  of 
arms,  all  riotous  proceedings,  and  to  apprehend  the 
rioters.  I  have  called  you  privately  together,  gentle 
men,  that  we  might  arrange  for  concerted  action  to 
these  ends. "  In  a  low  voice,  so  that  no  chance  listener 
from  without  might  catch  its  tenor,  the  Squire  then 
proceeded  to  read  Governor  Bowdoin's  proclamation, 
closing  with  that  time-honored  and  impressive  formula, 
"God  save  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts." 
Captain  Stoddard  was  first  to  break  the  silence  which 
followed  the  reading  of  the  document. 

"  I,  for  one,  am  ready  to  fight  the  mob  to-morrow, 
but  how  are  we  to  go  about  it?  There  are  ten  men  for 
the  mob  to  one  against  it.  What  can  we  do? " 

"  How  many  men  in  your  company  could  be  depended 
on  to  fight  the  mob,  if  it  came  to  blows?"  asked  Wood- 
bridge. 

"  Not  over  twenty  or  thirty,  I'm  afraid.  Three 
quarters  are  for  the  mob. " 

"  There  are  a  dozen  of  us  here,  and  I  presume  at  least 


Plots  and  Counterplots  207 

a  score  more  gentlemen  in  town  could  be  depended  on," 
said  Doctor  Partridge. 

"  But  that  would  give  not  over  three  score,  and  the 
mob  could  easily  muster  four  times  that,  "said  Gleason. 

"  They  have  no  leaders,  though/'  said  Bacon.  "  Such 
fellows  are  dangerous  only  when  they  have  leaders. 
They  could  not  stand  before  us,  for  methinks  we  are 
by  this  time  become  desperate  men." 

"  You  forget  that  this  Hamlin  fellow  will  stop  at  noth 
ing,  and  they  will  follow  him,"  remarked  Seymour. 

"  He  is  going  to  leave  town  this  week,  if  he  be  not 
already  gone,"  said  Doctor  Partridge. 

"What?"  exclaimed  Woodbridge,  almost  with  con 
sternation. 

"  He  is  going  away,"  repeated  the  doctor. 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  expedient  to  wait  till  he  has 
gone,"  was  Gleason's  prudent  suggestion. 

"  And  let  the  knave  escape !  "  exclaimed  Woodbridge, 
looking  fiercely  at  the  schoolmaster.  "  I  would  not 
have  him  get  away  for  ten  thousand  pounds.  I  have  a 
little  reckoning  to  settle  with  him.  If  he  is  going  to 
leave,  we  must  not  delay." 

"  My  advices  state  that  Squire  Sedgwick  will  be  home 
in  a  few  days  to  attend  to  his  cases  at  the  October  term 
of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Barrington.  His  cooperation 
would  no  doubt  strengthen  our  hands,"  suggested 
Ephraim  Williams. 

If  the  danger  of  Hamlin's  escape  had  not  been  a  suffi 
cient  motive  in  Woodbridge's  mind  for  hastening  mat 
ters,  the  possibility  that  his  rival  might  return  in  time 
to  share  the  credit  of  the  undertaking  would  have  been. 
But  he  merely  said,  coldly: 

"  The  success  of  our  measures  will  scarcely  depend 
on  the  cooperation  of  one  man  more  or  less,  and  seeing 


208  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

that  we  have  broached  the  business,  as  little  time  as 
possible  should  intervene  ere  its  execution,  lest  some 
whisper  get  abroad  and  warn  the  rabble,  for  it  is  clear 
that  it  is  only  by  a  surprise  that  we  can  be  sure  of  beat 
ing  them. " 

He  then  proceeded  to  lay  before  them  a  scheme  of 
action  which  was  at  once  so  bold  and  so  prudent  that 
it  obtained  the  immediate  and  admiring  approval  of  all 
present.  Just  before  dawn,  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  Thursday,  the  next  day  but  one,  that  being 
the  hour  at  which  the  village  was  most  completely 
wrapped  in  repose,  the  conspirators  were  secretly  to 
rendezvous  at  Captain  Jones's  house,  and  such  as  had 
not  arms  and  ammunition  of  their  own  were  there  to 
be  supplied  from  the  town  stock.  Issuing  thence  and 
dividing  into  parties,  the  arrest  of  Perez  Hamlin,  Ab- 
ner  Rathbun,  Peleg  Bidwell,  Israel  Goodrich,  Meshech 
Little,  and  other  men  regarded  as  leaders  of  the  mob, 
was  to  be  simultaneously  effected.  Strong  guards 
were  then  to  be  posted,  so  that  when  the  village  awoke 
it  would  be  to  find  itself  in  military  possession  of  the 
legal  authorities.  The  next  step  would  be  immediately 
to  bring  the  prisoners  before  Justice  Woodbridge  to  be 
tried,  the  sentences  to  be  summarily  carried  out  at  the 
whipping-post  on  the  green ;  and  the  prisoners  were 
then  to  be  remanded  to  custody,  to  await  the  further 
action  of  the  law  before  higher  tribunals.  It  might 
be  necessary  to  keep  up  the  military  occupation  of 
the  village  for  some  time,  but  it  was  agreed  that  the 
execution  of  the  well-laid  plot  would  be  sufficient  to 
break  entirely  the  spirit  of  the  mob.  The  excesses  of 
the  rabble  during  the  past  week  had,  it  was  believed, 
already  done  something  to  produce  a  reaction  of  feel 
ing  against  them  among  their  former  sympathizers, 


Plots  and  Counterplots  209 

and  there  would  doubtless  be  plenty  of  recruits  for  the 
party  of  order,  as  soon  as  it  had  shown  itself  the 
stronger.  The  intervening  day,  Wednesday,  was  to 
be  devoted  by  those  present  to  warning  secretly  such 
as  were  counted  on  to  assist  in  the  project.  It  was  es 
timated  that,  including  all  the  able-bodied  gentlemen 
in  town,  as  well  as  some  of  the  people  known  to  be  dis 
affected  to  the  mob,  about  seventy-five  men  could  be 
secured  for  the  work  in  hand. 

Now,  Lu  Nimham,  the  beautiful  Indian  girl  whom 
Perez  had  noticed  in  meeting  sitting  beside  Prudence 
Fennell,  had  another  lover  besides  Abe  Konkapot — no 
other,  in  fact,  than  Abe's  own  brother  Jake.  Abe  had 
been  to  the  war  and  Jake  had  not,  and  Lu,  as  might 
have  been  expected  from  a  girl  whose  father  and 
brother  had  fallen  at  White  Plains  in  the  Continental 
uniform,  preferred  her  soldier  lover  to  the  other.  But 
not  so  the  Widow  Nimham,  her  mother,  in  whose  eyes 
Jake's  slightly  better  worldly  prospects  gave  him  the 
advantage.  It  so  happened  that  soon  after  dusk, 
Wednesday  evening,  Abe,  drawn  by  a  tender  inward 
stress,  betook  himself  to  the  lonely  dell  in  the  extreme 
western  part  of  the  village,  now  called  Glendale,  where 
the  hut  of  the  Nimham  family  stood.  His  discomfiture 
was  great  on  finding  Jake  already  comfortably  installed 
in  the  kitchen  and  basking  in  Lu's  society.  He  did  not 
linger.  The  widow  did  not  invite  him  to  stay ;  in  fact, 
not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,  she  intimated  that 
it  would  be  just  as  well  if  he  were  to  finish  his  call  at 
some  other  time.  Lu  indeed  threw  sundry  tender 
commiserating  glances  in  his  direction,  but  her  mother 
watched  her  like  a  cat,  and  mothers  in  those  times  were 
a  good  deal  more  in  the  way  than  they  are  nowadays. 

How  little  do  we  know  what  is  good  for  us !  As  he 
14 


2io  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

beat  an  ignominious  retreat,  pursued  by  the  scornful 
laughter  of  his  brother,  Abe  certainly  had  apparent 
reason  to  be  down  on  his  luck.  Nevertheless,  the  fact 
that  he  was  "  cut  out "  that  particular  evening  proved  to 
be  one  of  the  clearest  streaks  of  luck  that  had  ever  oc 
curred  in  his  career ;  and  a  good  many  others  besides 
he  had  equal  reason  ere  morning  dawned  to  be  thank 
ful  for  it.  The  matter  fell  out  on  this  wise : 

About  two  hours  later — a  little  after  nine  o'clock,  in 
fact — the  Hamlin  household  was  about  going  to  bed. 
Elnathan  and  Mrs.  Hamlin  had  already  retired  to  the 
small  bedroom  opening  out  of  the  kitchen.  Reuben, 
George  Fennell,  and  Perez  slept  in  the  kitchen,  and 
Prudence  in  the  loft  above.  The  two  invalids  were 
already  in  bed,  and  the  girl  was  just  giving  the  last 
attentions  for  the  night  to  her  father  before  climbing 
to  her  pallet.  Perez  sat  at  the  other  end  of  the  great 
room  before  the  open  chimney,  gazing  into  the  embers 
of  the  fire.  The  family  was  to  start  for  New  York  the 
next  morning,  and  as  this  last  night  in  the  old  home 
stead  was  closing  in  the  young  man  had  enough  sad 
matter  to  occupy  his  thoughts.  Her  loving  cares  com 
pleted,  Prudence  came  and  stood  silently  by  his  side. 
Taking  note  of  her  friendly  presence  after  awhile,  he 
put  out  his  hand  without  looking  up  and  took  hers  as 
it  hung  by  her  side.  He  had  taken  quite  a  liking  to 
the  sweet-tempered  little  lassie,  and  had  felt  particu 
larly  kindly  toward  her  since  her  well-meaning,  if 
rather  inadequate  effort  to  console  him  that  Sunday 
behind  the  barn. 

"You're  a  good  little  girl,  Prudy,"  he  said,  "and  I 
know  you  will  take  good  care  of  your  father.  You  can 
stay  here  if  you  want,  you  know,  after  we're  gone.  I 
don't  think  Solomon  Gleason  or  the  sheriff  will  trouble 


Plots  and   Counterplots  21 1 

you.  Or  you  can  go  to  your  father's  old  house.  Oba- 
diah  says  Gleason  has  left  it.  Obadiah  will  look  after 
you  and  do  any  chores  you  may  want  about  the  house. 
He'll  be  very  glad  to.  He  thinks  a  good  deal  of  you, 
Obadiah  does.  I  suppose  he'll  be  wanting  you  to  keep 
house  for  him  when  you  get  a  little  older,"  and  he 
looked  cheerily  up  at  her.  But  evidently  his  little  jest 
had  struck  her  mind  amiss.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  tears 
and  the  childish  mouth  quivered. 

"Why,  what's  the  matter,  Prudy?"  he  asked  in  sur 
prise. 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  talk  so  to  me,  now,"  she  said, 
"as  if  I  didn't  care  anything  when  you're  all  going 
away  and  have  been  so  good  to  me  and  father.  And  I 
don't  care  about  Obadiah  either,  and  you  needn't  say 
so.  He's  just  a  great  gump !  " 

At  this  point,  the  conversation  was  abruptly  broken 
off  by  the  noise  of  the  latch-string  being  pulled.  Both 
turned.  Lu  Nimham  was  standing  in  the  doorway, 
her  great  black  eyes  shining  in  the  dusk  like  those  of  a 
deer  fascinated  by  the  night-hunter's  torch.  Prudence, 
with  a  low  exclamation  of  surprise,  crossed  the  room  to 
her,  and  Lu  whispering  something  drew  her  out.  Im 
mediately,  however,  the  white  girl  reappeared  in  the 
doorway,  her  rosy  face  pale,  her  eyes  dilated,  and 
beckoned  to  Perez,  who  in  a  good  deal  of  wonderment 
at  once  obeyed  the  gesture.  The  two  girls  were  stand 
ing  by  a  corner  of  the  house,  out  of  earshot  from  the 
window  of  Elnathan's  bedroom.  Both  looked  very 
much  excited,  but  the  Indian  girl  was  smiling  as  if  the 
stimulus  affected  her  nerves  agreeably  rather  than 
otherwise.  Abe  Konkapot,  looking  rather  sober,  stood 
near  by. 

"  Oh,  what  shall  we  do? "  exclaimed  Prudence  in  a 


212  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

terrified  half- whisper.  "  She  says  the  militia  are  com* 
ing  to  take  you !  " 

"  What  is  it  all?  demanded  Perez  of  the  Indian  girl, 
as  he  laid  his  hand  soothingly  on  Prudence's  shoulder. 

"Jake  Konkapot,  he  come  see  me  to-night,"  said 
Lu,  still  smiling.  "  Jake  no  like  Abe,  'cause  Abe  like 
me  too.  Jake  he  ask  me  if  I  like  Abe  any  more  after 
he  git  whip  on  back  by  constable  man.  I  say  no.  In 
dian  gal  no  like  marry  man  what  been  whip.  Jake 
laugh  and  say  I  no  marry  Abe  sure  'nough,  'cause  Abe 
git  whip  to-morrow.  He  no  tell  me  what  he  mean  till 
I  say  I  give  him  kiss.  Man  all  like  kiss.  Jake  he  say 
yes,  an'  I  give  him  kiss.  Ugh!  Arter  that  he  say 
Squire  an'  Deacon  Edwards,  and  Deacon  Nash,  an' 
Cap'n  Stoddard  an'  heap  more,  an*  Jake  he  go  too,  go- 
in'  ter  git  up  early,  at  three  o'clock  to-morrer,  with 
guns;  make  no  noise,  go  roun' creepy,  creepy,  creepy." 
Here  she  expressed  by  pantomime  the  way  a  cat 
stealthily  approaches  its  prey,  culminating  by  a  sudden 
clutch  on  Perez's  arm  that  startled  him,  as  she  added 
explosively,  "  Catch  you  so !  all  abed,  an*  Abe  an'  Ab- 
ner  an'  heap  more.  Then  when  mornin'  come  they 
whip  all  on  yer  ter  the  whippin'-post.  When  Jake  go 
home  I  wait  till  mammy  go  sleep,  slip  out  winder  an' 
go  tell  Abe  so  he  no  git  whip.  Then  I  tink  come 
here  tell  Prudence,  for  I  tink  she  no  like  you  git 
whip." 

Perez  had  listened  with  an  intense  interest  that  lost 
not  a  syllable.  As  the  girl  described  the  disgrace 
which  his  enemies  had  planned  to  inflict  on  him,  if 
their  plan  succeeded,  his  cheek  paled  and  his  lips  drew 
tense  across  his  set  teeth.  As  Prudence  looked  up  at 
him  there  was  a  suppressed  intensity  of  rage  in  his  face 
which  checked  the  ejaculations  upon  her  lips.  There 


Plots  and  Counterplots  213 

was  a  silence  of  several  seconds,  and  then  he  said  in  a 
low  suppressed  voice,  hard  and  unnatural  in  tone : 

"Young  woman,  I  owe  you  more  than  if  you  had 
saved  me  from  death."  Lu  smilingly  nodded,  evident 
ly  fully  appreciating  the  point. 

"  Three  o'clock,  you  said?  "  muttered  Perez  presently, 
half  to  himself,  as  the  others  still  were  silent. 

"Tree  'clock,  Jake  say.  Jake  an'  all  udder  man 
meet  to  Cap'n  Jones's  tree  'clock  to  git  um  guns." 

"It's  nine  now, — six  hours.  Time  enough,"  mut 
tered  Perez. 

"Yes,  there's  time  for  you  to  get  away,"  said  Pru 
dence  eagerly.  "  You  can  get  to  York  State  by  three 
o'clock,  if  you  hurry.  Oh,  don't  wait  a  minute.  If 
they  should  catch  you !  " 

He  smiled  grimly. 

"  Yes,  there's  time  for  me  to  get  away,  but  there's 
no  time  for  them,  my  sirs." 

"  Abe,"  he  added,  abruptly  changing  his  tone,  "  you've 
heard  what  they're  going  to  do?  What  are  you  going 
to  do?" 

"I  tink  me  go  wake  up  fellers.  Heap  time,  run 
clean  'way 'fore  tree  'clock,"  said  the  Indian.  "  Mil- 
ishy  come  tree  'clock,  no  find  us.  'Fraid  have  to  leave 
Abner.  Abner  heap  drunk  to-night.  No  can  walk. 
Too  big  for  carry.  Heap  sorry,  but  no  can  help  it." 

"  But  you  don't  want  to  leave  home,  Abe.  You 
don't  want  to  leave  Lu  here  for  Jake  to  get." 

Abe  shook  his  head  gloomily. 

"No  use  stay,"  he  said.  "If  I  get  whip,  Lu  no 
marry  me." 

"Abe,"  said  Perez,  stepping  up  to  the  disconsolate 
Indian  and  clapping  him  sharply  on  the  shoulder,  "  you 
were  in  the  army.  You're  not  afraid  of  fighting. 


214  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

We'll  stay  and  beat  these  fine  gentlemen  at  their  own 
game.  By  three  o'clock  we'll  have  every  one  of  them 
tinder  guard,  and,  by  the  Lord  God  of  Israel!  by  noon 
to-morrow,  every  man  of  them  shall  get  ten  lashes  on 
his  bare  back  with  all  Stockbridge  looking  on.  We'll 
see  who's  whipped." 

"  Ha!  you  no  run.  You  stay  fight  'em.  What  heap 
more  better  as  run.  You  great  brave,  ha!  ha!  "  cried 
Lu,  dancing  in  front  of  Perez  and  clapping  her  hands 
in  noiseless  ecstacy,  while  her  splendid  eyes  rested  on 
him  with  an  admiration  of  which  Abe  might  have  been 
excusably  jealous. 

Her  Mohegan  blood  was  on  fire  at  the  prospect  of  a 
scrimmage,  and  her  lover's  response,  if  more  laconic, 
was  quite  as  satisfactory. 

"  Me  no  like  to  run.  Me  stay  fight.  Me  do  what 
you  say." 

"  Wait  here  till  I  get  my  sword  and  pistols.  We've 
plenty  of  time,  but  none  to  lose,"  and  Perez  went  into 
the  house,  followed  by  Prudence.  Mrs.  Hamlin,  with 
some  garment  hastily  thrown  about  her,  had  come  out 
of  her  bedroom. 

"  I  heard  voices.     What  it  it,  Perez? "  she  said. 

"  Abe  has  come  to  get  me  to  go  off  on  a  'coon  hunt. 
He  thinks  he's  treed  several,"  replied  Perez,  strapping 
on  his  accouterments.  He  had  no  notion  of  leaving 
his  mother  a  prey  to  sleepless  anxiety  during  his  ab 
sence. 

"You're  not  telling  me  the  truth,  Perez.  Look  at 
Prudence." 

The  girl's  face,  pale  as  ashes  and  her  eyes  full  of  fear 
and  excitement, -had  betrayed  him,  and  so  he  had  to 
tell  her  in  a  few  words  what  he  was  going  to  do.  The 
door  stood  open,  On  the  threshold,  as  he  was  going 


Plots  and   Counterplots  215 

out,  he  turned  his  head,  and  said  in  confident,  ringing 
tones : 

"You  needn't  be  at  all  afraid.  We  shall  certainly 
succeed." 

No  wonder  the  breath  of  the  night  had  inspired  him 
with  such  confidence.  It  was  the  night  of  all  nights  in 
the  year  which  a  man  would  choose  if  he  were  to  stake 
his  life  and  all  on  the  issue  of  some  daring  stake,  as 
sured  that  then,  if  ever,  he  could  depend  to  the  utter 
most  on  every  atom  of  nerve  and  muscle  in  his  body. 
The  bare  mountain  peaks  overhanging  the  village  were 
tipped  with  silver  by  the  moon,  and  under  its  light  the 
dense  forests  that  clothed  their  sides  wore  a  sheen  like 
that  of  thick  and  glossy  fur.  The  air  was  tingling  with 
that  electric  stimulus  which  characterizes  autumn  even 
ings  in  New  England  about  the  time  of  the  first  frosts. 
A  faint,  sweet  smell  of  aromatic  smoke  from  burning 
pine  woods  somewhere  off  in  the  mountains  could 
barely  be  detected.  The  intense  vitality  of  the  atmos 
phere  communicated  itself  to  the  nerves,  stringing 
them  like  steel  cords,  and  setting  them  vibrating  with 
lust  for  action  and  reckless,  daring  emprise. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Lex  Talionis 

THE  plan  which  Perez  had  formed  for  forestalling 
his  adversaries  and  visiting  upon  their  own  heads  the 
fate  they  had  prepared  for  him  was  very  simple.  He 
proposed  to  go  down  into  the  village  with  Abe  and  Lu, 
and  with  their  assistance  to  call  up,  without  waking 
anybody  else,  some  forty  or  fifty  of  the  most  deter 
mined  fellows  of  the  rebel  party.  With  the  aid  of 
these,  he  intended  as  noiselessly  as  possible  to  enter 
the  houses  of  Squires  Woodbridge  and  Edwards,  Dea 
con  Nash,  Captain  Stoddard  and  others,  and  arrest 
them  in  their  beds,  simultaneously  seizing  the  town 
stock  of  muskets  and  powder,  and  conveying  it  to  a 
guarded  place,  so  that  when  the  conspirators'  party  as 
sembled  at  three  o'clock,  they  might  find  themselves  at 
once  without  arms  or  officers,  their  leaders  hostages  in 
the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  their  design  completely 
set  at  naught.  Thanks  to  the  excesses  of  the  past  week 
or  two,  there  were  many  more  than  forty  men  in  the 
village  who,  knowing  that  the  restoration  of  law  and 
order  meant  a  sharp  reckoning  for  them,  would  stop  at 
nothing  to  prevent  it ;  and  Perez  could  thus  command 
precisely  the  sort  of  followers  he  wanted  for  his  pres 
ent  undertaking. 

For  many  years  after,  in  certain  Stockbridge  house 
holds,  the  story  in  grandmother's  repertoire  most 
eagerly  called  for  by  the  young  folks  on  winter  even- 


Lex  Talionis  217 

ings  was  about  how  the  "  Regulators  "  came  for  grand 
pa  ;  how  at  dead  of  night  the  heavy  tramp  of  men  and 
the  sound  of  rough  voices  in  the  rooms  below  awoke 
the  children  sleeping  overhead,  and  froze  their  young 
blood  with  fear  of  Indians;  how  at  last,  mustering 
courage,  they  crept  downstairs,  and  peeping  into  the 
living-room  saw  it  full  of  fierce  men,  with  green 
boughs  in  their  hats,  the  flaring  candles  gleaming 
upon  their  muskets  and  bayonets,  and  the  drawn  sword 
of  their  captain ;  while  in  the  midst,  half-dressed  and 
in  his  night-cap,  grandpa  was  being  hustled  about. 

Leaving  these  details  to  the  imagination,  suffice  it  to 
say  that  Perez's  plan,  clearly  conceived,  and  executed 
with  prompt,  relentless  vigor,  was  perfectly  successful, 
and  so  noiselessly  carried  out  that,  excepting  those 
families  whose  heads  were  arrested  by  the  soldiers,  the 
village,  as  a  whole,  had  no  suspicion  that  anything  in 
particular  was  going  on,  until  waking  up  the  next 
morning,  the  people  found  squads  of  armed  men  on 
guard  at  the  street  corners,  and  sentinels  pacing  up 
and  down  before  the  Fennell  house,  that  building,  left 
vacant  by  Gleason's  ejection,  having  been  selected  by 
Perez  for  the  confinement  of  his  prisoners  and  the 
stores  he  had  confiscated.  As  the  people  ran  together 
on  the  green  to  learn  the  reason  of  the  strange  ap 
pearances,  and  the  story  passed  from  lip  to  lip  what 
had  been  the  plot  against  their  newly  acquired  liber 
ties  and  the  persons  of  their  leaders,  and  by  what  a 
narrow  chance  and  by  whose  bold  action  the  trouble 
had  been  averted,  the  sensation  was  prodigious.  The 
tendency  of  public  opinion,  which  had  been  inclining  to 
sympathize  a  little  with  the  abuse  the  silk-stockings 
had  been  undergoing  during  the  past  week,  was  in 
stantly  reversed,  now  that  the  so  near  success  of  their 


21 8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

plot  once  more  made  them  objects  of  terror.  The  ex 
asperation  was  far  more  general  and  profound  than  had 
been  excited  by  the  previous  attempt  to  restore  the  old 
order  of  things  in  the  case  of  the  sale  of  David  Joy's 
house.  This  was  more  serious  business.  Every  man 
who  had  been  connected  with  the  rebellion  felt,  in 
imagination,  the  lash  on  his  back,  and  white  faces  were 
plenty  among  the  stoutest  of  them.  And  what  they 
felt  for  themselves,  you  may  be  sure  their  wives  and 
children  and  friends  felt  for  them,  with  even  greater 
intensity.  As  now  and  then  the  wife  or  child  of  one 
of  the  prisoners  in  the  guardhouse,  with  anxious  face, 
timidly  passed  through  the  throng,  on  the  way  to  make 
inquiries  concerning  the  welfare  of  the  husband  or 
father,  black  looks  and  muttered  curses  followed  them, 
and  the  rude  gibes  with  which  the  sentinels  responded 
to 'their  anxious,  tearful  questionings  were  received 
with  mocking  laughter  by  the  crowd. 

As  Perez,  coming  forth  for  some  purpose,  appeared 
at  the  door  of  the  Fennell  house,  there  was  a  great 
shout  of  acclamation,  the  popular  ratification  of  the 
night's  work.  But  an  even  more  convincing  demon 
stration  of  approval  awaited  him.  As  he  began  to 
make  his  way  through  the  throng,  Submit  Goodrich, 
old  Israel's  buxom,  black-eyed  daughter,  confronted 
him,  saying, 

"  My  old  daddy  'd  ha*  been  in  the  stocks  by  this  time 
if  it  hadn't  been  f6r  yew,  so  there,"  and  throwing  her 
arms  around  his  neck,  she  gave  him  a  resounding  kiss 
on  the  lips.  Meshech  Little's  wife  followed  suit,  and 
then  Peleg  Bidwell's  wife  and  a  lot  of  other  women  of 
the  people,  amid  the  uproarious  plaudits  of  the  crowd, 
which  became  deafening  as  Resignation  Ann  Poor, 
Zadkiel's  energetic  wife,  elbowed  her  way  through  the 


Lex  Talionis  219 

pack,  and  clasping-  the  helpless  Perez  against  her  bony 
breast  in  a  genuine  bear's  hug,  gave  him  a  kiss  like  a 
file. 

"Well,  I  never!"  ejaculated  Prudence  Fennell,  who 
was  bringing  some  breakfast  to  Perez,  and  had  ob 
served  all  this  kissing  with  a  rather  sour  expression. 

Unluckily  for  her,  Submit  overheard  the  words. 

"Yew  never,  didn't  yew?  An7  livin*  in  the  same 
haouse  'long  with  him  too?  Wai,  it's  time  ye  did," 
she  exclaimed  loudly,  and  seizing  the  struggling  girl 
she  thrust  her  before  Perez,  holding  down  her  hands 
so  that  she  could  not  cover  her  furiously  blushing  face, 
and  amid  the  boisterous  laughter  of  the  bystanders  she 
was  kissed  also,  a  proceeding  which  evidently  pleased 
Obadiah  Weeks,  who  stood  near,  as  little  as  the  general 
kissing  had  pleased  Prudence.  As  Submit  released  her 
and  she  rushed  away,  Obadiah  followed  her. 

"  Haow  'd  ye  like  it? "  he  inquired,  with  a  sickly  grin 
of  jealous  irony.  "  I  see  ye  didn't  cover  yer  face  very 
tight,  he !  he !  Took  keer  to  leave  a  hole,  he !  he !  " 

The  girl  turned  on  him  like  a  flash  and  gave  him  a 
resounding  slap  on  the  cheek. 

"  Take  that,  you  great  gump !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  What'd  ye  want  ter  hit  a  feller  fer?"  whined  Oba 
diah,  rubbing  the  smitten  locality.  "Gol  darn  it!  I 
hain't  done  nothin'  to  ye.  Ye  didn't  slap  him  when 
he  kissed  ye,  darn  him.  Guess  't  ain't  the  fust  time 
he's  done  it,  nuther." 

Prudence  turned  her  back  to  him  and  walked  off,  but 
Obadiah,  his  bashfulness  for  the  moment  quite  forgot 
ten  in  his  jealous  rage,  followed  her  long  enough  to 
add: 

"  Oh,  ye  needn't  think  I  hain't  seen  ye  settin'  yer  cap 
fer  him  all  'long,  an'  he  almost  old  'nough  ter  be  yer 


220  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

dad.  S'pose  ye  thought  ye'd  git  him,  bein'  in  the  same 
haouse  'long  with  him,  but  ye  hain't  made  aout.  He's 
goin'  ter  York,  an*  he  don't  keer  no  more  'baout  yew 
nor  the  dirt  under  his  feet.  He  ez  good  's  told  me  so." 

"There  comes  Abner  Rath  bun,"  said  some  one  in 
the  group  around  Perez.  With  heavy  eyes,  testifying 
to  his  debauch  over  night,  and  a  generally  crestfallen 
appearance,  the  giant  was  approaching  from  the  tav 
ern,  where  he  had  presumably  been  bracing  up  with  a 
little  morning  flip. 

"  A  nice  sort  o'  man  yew  be,  Abner,  fer  yer  neigh 
bors  to  be  a-trustin*  ter  look  aout  fer  things,"  said  an 
old  farmer,  sarcastically. 

"  Ef  't  hedn't  been  fer  Cap'n  Hamlin  there  the  con 
stable  would  ha*  waked  ye  up  this  mornin'  with  the 
end  of  a  gad,"  said  another. 

"  Yew'll  hev  ter  take  in  yer  horns  a  little  after  this, 
Abner.  It  won't  do  to  be  puttin'  on  any  more  airs," 
remarked  a  third. 

"Go  ahead,"  said  Abner,  ruefully.  "I  hain't  got 
nothin*  ter  say.  Ye  kin  sass  me  all  ye  want.  Every 
one  on  ye  kin  take  yer  hack  at  me.  I'm  kind  o'  sorry 
there  ain't  any  on  ye  big  'nough  ter  kick  me,  fer  I 
ought  ter  be  kicked. " 

"Never  mind,  Abner,"  said  Perez,  pitying  his  hu 
miliated  condition.  "  Anybody  may  get  too  much  flip 
now  and  then.  We  missed  you,  but  we  managed  to 
get  through  with  the  job  all  right. " 

"  Cap'n,"  said  Abner,  "  I  was  'bleeged  ter  ye  when  ye 
pulled  them  two  Britishers  off  o'  me  ter  Stillwater,  but 
that  ain't  a  sarcumstance  to  the  way  I  be  'bleeged  ter 
ye  this  mornin',  fer  it's  all  your  doin's,  and  no  thanks 
ter  me,  that  I  ain't  gittin'  ten  lashes  this  very  minute, 
with  all  the  women  a-snickerin'  at  the  size  of  my  back. 


Lex  Talionis  221 

I  hev  been  kind  o'  cocky,  an'  I  hev  put  on  some  airs, 
ez  these  fellers  says,  fer  I  concluded  ye'd  kind  o' 
washed  yer  hands  o'  this  business,  an'  left  me  ter  be 
cap'n,  but  arter  this  ye'll  find  Abner  Rathbun  knows 
his  place. " 

"  You  were  quite  right  about  it,  Abner.  I  have 
washed  my  hands  of  the  business.  I  am  going  to  take 
my  folks  out  to  York  State.  I  meant  to  start  this 
morning.  If  the  silk-stockings  had  waited  till  to-night 
they  wouldn't  have  found  me  in  their  way." 

"  I  guess  't  wuz  providential  they  didn't  wait,  fer  we'd 
ha'  been  gone  suckers  sure  ez  ye  hedn't  been  on  hand 
ter  dew  what  ye  did,"  said  one  of  the  men.  "There 
ain't  another  man  in  town  ez  could  ha'  done  it,  or 
would  dast  try." 

"  But  ye  ain't  calc'latin'  ter  go  arter  this,  be  ye, 
Perez? "  said  Abner. 

"  This  makes  no  difference.  I  expect  to  get  off  to 
morrow,"  replied  Perez. 

"Ye  shan't  go,  not  ef  I  hold  ye,"  cried  Mrs.  Poor, 
edging  up  to  him  as  if  about  to  secure  his  person  on 
the  spot. 

"  Ef  yew  go  the  rest  on  us  might's  well  go  with  ye, 
fer  the  silk-stockin's  '11  hev  it  all  their  own  way  then," 
remarked  a  farmer,  gloomily. 

"  I  don't  think  the  silk-stockings  will  try  any  more 
tricks  right  off,"  said  Perez,  grimly.  "I  propose  to 
give  them  a  lesson  this  morning,  which  they'll  be  like 
ly  to  remember  for  one  while. " 

"  What  be  ye  a-goin'  ter  dew  to  'em? "  asked  Abner, 
eagerly. 

"Well,"  said  Perez,  deliberately,  as  every  eye  rested 
on  him,  "  you  see  they  had  set  their  minds  on  having 
some  whipping  done  this  morning,  and  I  don't  propose 


222          The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

to  have  them  disappointed.  I'm  going  to  do  to  them 
as  they  would  have  done  to  us.  The  whipping  will 
come  off  as  soon  as  Abe  can  find  Little  Pete  to  handle 
the  gad.  I  sent  him  off  some  time  ago.  I  don't  see 
what's  keeping  him." 

His  manner  was  as  quiet  and  matter-of-course  as  if 
he  were  proposing  the  most  ordinary  sort  of  forenoon 
occupation,  and  when  he  finished  speaking  he  walked 
away  without  so  much  as  a  glance  around  to  see  how 
the  people  took  it.  It  was  nevertheless  quite  worth 
observing,  the  fascinated  stare  with  which  they  looked 
after  him,  and  then  turned  to  fix  on  each  other.  It 
was  Abner  who,  after  several  moments  of  dead  silence, 
said  in  an  awed  voice,  like  a  loud  whisper : 

"He's  a-goin'  ter  whip  'em."  And  Obadiah  almost 
devoutly  murmured,  "  By  gosh !  " 

The  men  who  stood  around  were  intensely  angry 
with  the  prisoners  for  their  plot  to  arrest  and  whip 
them,  but  the  idea  of  retaliating  in  kind,  by  whipping 
the  prisoners  themselves,  had  not  for  an  instant  oc 
curred  to  the  boldest.  The  prisoners  were  gentlemen, 
and  the  idea  of  whipping  a  gentleman  just  as  if  he  were 
one  of  themselves  was  something  the  most  lawless  of 
them  had  never  entertained.  Education,  precedent, 
and  innate  caste  sentiment  had  alike  precluded  the 
idea.  But  after  the  first  sensation  of  bewilderment 
had  passed,  it  was  evident  that  the  shock  which  the 
popular  mind  had  received  from  Perez's  words  was 
not  wholly  disagreeable,  but  rather  suggestive  of  a 
certain  shuddering  delight.  The  introspective  gleam 
which  shone  in  everybody's  eye  betrayed  the  half- 
scared  pleasure  with  which  each  in  his  own  mind  was 
turning  over  the  daring  suggestion. 

"Why  not,  arter  all?"  said  Meshech  Little,  hesitat- 


Lex  Talionis  223 

ingly,  as  if  his  logic  didn't  convince  himself.  "  They 
wuz  goin'  ter  lick  us.  They'd  ha'  had  us  licked  by  this 
time.  It's  tit  for  tat." 

"  I  s'pose  Goramity  made  our  backs  as  well  as  their 'n," 
observed  Abner.  "  The  only  odds  is  in  the  kind  o'  coats 
we  wear.  Our'n  ain't  so  fine  ez  their'n,  but  it's  the  back 
an'  not  the  coat  that  gits  licked.  Arter  Pete  has  took 
off  their  coats  there  won't  be  no  odds." 

The  chuckle  with  which  this  was  received  showed 
how  fast  the  people  were  yielding  to  the  awful  charm 
of  the  thought. 

"Do  ye  s'pose  cap'n  '11  really  dass  dew  it?"  asked 
Obadiah. 

"  Dew  it?  Yes,  he'll  dew  it,  you  better  b'lieve.  Did 
ye  see  the  set  of  his  jaw  when  he  wuz  talkin'  so  quiet- 
like  'baout  lickin'  'em?  I  wuz  in  the  army  with  Perez, 
an'  I  know  his  ways.  When  he  sets  his  jaw  that  air 
way  I  don't  keer  to  git  in  his  way,  big  ez  I  be.  He'll 
dew  it  ef  he  doos  it  with  his  own  hands.  He's  pison 
proud,  Perez  is,  an'  I  guess  the  idee  that  they  wuz 
layin'  aout  ter  hev  him  licked  hez  kind  o'  riled 
him." 

As  the  people  talked,  their  hearts  began  to  burn. 
The  more  they  thought  of  it,  the  more  the  idea  fasci 
nated  them.  Jests  and  hilarious  comments,  which  be 
trayed  a  temper  of  delighted  expectancy,  soon  began  to 
be  bandied  about. 

In  ten  minutes  more,  this  very  crowd  which  had  re 
ceived  in  shocked  silence  the  first  suggestion  of  whip 
ping  the  gentlemen  had  so  set  their  fancy  on  that 
diversion  that  it  would  have  been  hard  balking  them. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  a  hundred  years 
ago.  The  weekly  spectacle  of  the  cruel  punishment  of 
the  lash,  and  the  scarcely  less  painful  and  disgraceful 


224  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

infliction  of  the  stocks  and  the  pillory,  left  in  their 
minds  no  possibility  for  any  revolt  of  mere  humane 
sentiment  against  the  proposed  doings,  such  as  a  mod 
ern  assembly  would  experience.  To  men  and  women 
who  had  learned  from  childhood  to  find  a  certain  brut 
ish  titillation  in  beholding  the  public  humiliation  and 
physical  anguish  of  their  acquaintances  and  fellow- 
townsmen,  the  prospect  of  seeing  the  scourge  actually 
applied  to  the  backs  of  envied  and  hated  social  supe 
riors  could  not  be  otherwise  than  delightfully  agitating. 
Nor  were  there  lacking  supplies  of  Dutch  courage  for 
the  timid.  Among  the  town  stores  seized  and  conveyed 
to  the  Fennell  house  the  night  before  had  been  several 
casks  of  rum.  One  of  these  had  been  secretly  seques 
trated  by  some  of  the  men  and  hidden  in  a  neighboring 
barn.  The  secret  of  its  whereabouts  had  been,  in 
drunken  confidence,  conveyed  from  one  man  to  another, 
with  the  consequence  that  nearly  all  the  men  were  rap 
idly  getting  drunk.  Shortly  after  Perez  had  communi 
cated  his  intention  to  the  people,  Paul  Hubbard,  with 
thirty  or  forty  of  the  iron-workers,  armed  with  blud 
geons,  arrived  from  West  Stockbridge.  Some  rumor 
of  the  doings  of  the  previous  night  had  reached  there, 
and  he  had  hastily  rallied  his  myrmidons  and  come 
down,  not  knowing  but  there  might  be  some  fighting  to 
be  done. 

"  Paul  '11  be  nigh  tickled  to  death  to  hear  of  the  whip- 
pin',"  said  Abner,  seeing  him  coming.  "  If  he  had  his 
way  he'd  skin  the  silk-stockin's,  an'  make  whips  out  o' 
their  own  hides  to  whip  'em  with.  He  don't  seem  to 
love  'em,  somehow  'nuther,  wuth  a  darn."  Nor  was 
Paul's  satisfaction  at  the  news  any  less  than  Abner  had 
anticipated.  Presently  he  burst  into  the  room  in  the 
Fennell  house  which  Perez  had  appropriated  as  a  sort 


Lex  Talionis  225 

of  headquarters,  and  wrung  the  latter's  rather  indiffer 
ent  hand  with  an  almost  tremulous  delight. 

"  Good  for  you,  Hamlin,  good  for  you !  By  the  Lord, 
I  didn't  suppose  you  had  the  mettle  to  do  it.  Little  Pete 
is  just  the  man  for  the  business,  but  if  he  doesn't  come, 
you  can  have  one  of  my  Welshmen.  I  suppose  most  of 
the  Stockbridge  men  wouldn't  quite  dare,  but  just  wait 
till  after  the  whipping.  They  won't  be  afraid  of  the 
big- wigs  any  longer.  That'll  break  the  charm.  Little 
Pete's  whip  will  do  more  to  make  us  free  and  equal 
than  all  the  swords  and  guns  in  Berkshire."  And 
Hubbard  went  out  exultant. 

As  he  was  leaving,  he  met  no  less  a  one  than  Par 
son  West  coming  in,  and  wearing  a  rather  discomfited 
countenance.  The  parson  had  been  accustomed,  as 
parsons  were  in  those  days,  to  a  good  deal  of  deference 
from  his  flock,  and  the  lowering  looks  and  covered 
heads  of  the  crowd  about  the  door  were  disagreeable 
novelties.  No  institution  in  the  New  England  of  that 
day  was,  in  fact,  more  strictly  aristocratic  than  the 
pulpit.  Its  affiliations  were  wholly  with  the  governing 
and  wealthy  classes,  and  its  tone  with  the  common 
people  was  as  arrogant  and  domineering  as  that  of  the 
magistracy  itself.  And  though  Parson  West  was  per 
sonally  a  man  of  unusual  affability  toward  the  poor 
and  lowly,  it  was  impossible  in  a  time  like  this  that  one 
of  his  class  should  not  be  regarded  with  suspicion  and 
aversion  by  the  popular  party. 

"I  would  have  word  with  your  captain,"  he  said  to 
the  sentinel  at  the  door. 

"He's  in  there,"  said  the  soldier,  pointing  to  the  door 
of  the  headquarters  room.  Perez,  who  was  walking  to 
and  fro,  turned  at  the  opening  door  and  respectfully 
greeted  the  parson. 


226  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Are  you  the  captain  of  the  armed  band  without?  *' 

"lam." 

"  You  have  certain  gentlemen  in  confinement,  I  have 
heard.  I  came  to  see  you  on  account  of  an  extraordi 
nary  report  that  you  had  threatened  to  inflict  a  dis 
graceful  public  chastisement  upon  their  persons.  No 
doubt  the  report  is  erroneous.  You  surely  could  not 
contemplate  so  cruel  and  scandalous  a  proceeding." 

"  The  report  is  entirely  true,  reverend  sir.  I  am  but 
waiting  for  a  certain  Hessian  drummer  who  will  wield 
the  lash." 

"  But,  man, "  exclaimed  the  parson,  "  you  have  forgot 
ten  that  these  are  the  first  men  in  the  county.  They 
are  gentlemen  of  distinguished  birth  and  official  sta 
tion.  You  would  not  whip  them  like  common  offend 
ers.  It  is  impossible.  You  are  beside  yourself.  Such 
a  thing  was  never  heard  of.  It  is  most  criminal,  most 
wicked.  As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  I  protest !  I  for 
bid  such  a  thing!  "  and  the  little  parson  fairly  choked 
with  righteous  indignation. 

"  These  men,  if  they  had  succeeded  in  their  plan  last 
night,  would  have  whipped  me  and  a  score  of  others 
to-day.  Would  you  have  protested  against  that? " 

"That  is  different.  They  would  have  proceeded 
against  you  as  criminals,  according  to  law." 

"  No  doubt  they  would  have  proceeded  according  to 
law,"  replied  Perez,  with  a  bitter  sneer.  "They  have 
been  proceeding  according  to  law  for  the  past  six  years 
here  in  Berkshire,  and  that's  why  the  people  are  in  re 
bellion.  I'm  no  lawyer,  but  I  know  that  Perez  Hamlin 
is  as  good  as  Jahleel  Woodbridge,  whatever  the  parson 
may  think,  and  what  he  would  have  done  to  me  shall 
be  done  to  him." 

"That  is  not  the  rule  of  the  gospel,"  said  the  minis- 


Lex  Talionis  227 

ter,  taking  another  tack.  "  Christ  said  if  any  man  smite 
you  on  the  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other  also. " 

"  If  that  is  your  counsel,  take  it  to  those  who  are  like 
ly  to  need  it.  I  am  going  to  do  the  smiting  this  time, 
and  it's  their  time  to  do  the  turning.  They  need  not 
trouble  themselves,  however.  Pete  will  see  that  they 
get  it  on  both  sides. 

44  And  now,  sir,"  he  added,  "if  you  would  like  to  see 
the  prisoners  to  prepare  them  for  what's  coming,  you 
are  welcome  to  do  so."  And  opening  the  door  of  the 
room,  he  told  the  sentinel  in  the  corridor  to  let  the  par 
son  into  the  guard-room,  and  the  silenced  and  horrified 
man  of  God,  mechanically  acting  upon  the  hint,  went 
out  and  left  him  alone. 

The  imagination  of  the  reader  will  readily  depict  the 
state  of  mind  in  which  the  families  of  the  arrested  gen 
tlemen  were  left,  after  the  midnight  visit  of  Perez's 
band.  That  there  was  no  more  sleep  in  those  house 
holds  that  night  will  be  easily  understood.  In  the  Ed 
wards  family  the  long  hours  till  morning  were  passed 
in  praying  and  weeping  by  Mrs.  Edwards  and  Desire 
and  the  younger  children.  They  scarcely  dared  to 
doubt  that  the  husband  and  father  was  destined  to  vio 
lence  or  death  at  the  hands  of  those  bloody  and  cruel 
men.  At  dawn  Jonathan,  who,  on  trying  to  follow  his 
father  when  first  arrested,  had  been  driven  back  with 
blows,  went  out  again,  and  the  tidings  which  he 
brought  back,  that  the  prisoners  were  confined  in  the 
Fennell  house  and  as  yet  had  undergone  no  abuse, 
somewhat  restored  their  agitated  spirits.  An  hour  or 
two  later  the  boy  came  tearing  into  the  house,  with 
white  face,  clenched  fists,  and  blazing  eyes. 

"  What  is  it? "  cried  his  mother  and  sister,  half  scared 
to  death  at  his  looks. 


228  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  They're  going "     Jonathan  choked. 

"They're  going  to  have  father  whipped,"  he  finally 
made  out  to  articulate. 

"Whipped!"  echoed  Desire,  faintly  and  tmcompre- 
hendingly. 

"Yes!"  cried  the  boy  hoarsely,  "stripped  and 
whipped  at  the  whipping-post  like  any  vagabond." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  said  Mrs.  Edwards,  as  she 
took  Jonathan  by  the  shoulder. 

"They're  going  to  whip  father,  and  uncle,  and  all 
the  others,"  he  repeated,  beginning  to  whimper,  stout 
boy  as  he  was. 

"Whip  father?  You're  crazy,  Jonathan,  you  didn't 
hear  right.  They'd  never  dare!  It  can't  be!  Run 
and  find  out,"  cried  Desire,  wildly. 

"  There  ain't  any  use.  I  heard  the  Hamlin  fellow 
say  so  himself.  They're  going  to  doit.  They  said  it's 
no  worse  than  whipping  one  of  them, — as  if  they  were 
gentlemen,"  blubbered  Jonathan. 

"Oh,  no!  no!  They  can't,  they  won't,"  cried  the 
girl  in  an  anguished  voice,  her  eyes  glazed  with  tears 
as  she  looked  appealingly  from  Jonathan  to  her  mother, 
in  whose  faces  there  was  little  enough  to  reassure 
her. 

"Don't,  mother,  you  hurt,"  said  Jonathan,  trying  to 
twist  away  from  the  clasp  which  his  mother  had  re 
tained  upon  his  arm,  unconsciously  tightening  it  till  it 
was  like  a  vise. 

"Whip  my  husband!"  said  she,  slowly,  in  a  hollow 
tone.  "  Whip  him  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  Such  a  thing  was 
never  heard  of.  There  must  be  some  mistake. " 

"  There  must  be !  There  must  be !  "  exclaimed  Desire 
again.  "  It  can  never  be.  They  are  not  so  wicked. 
That  Hamlin  fellow  is  bad  enough,  but,  oh,  he  isn't 


Lex  Talionis  229 

bad  enough  for  that.  They  would  not  dare.  God 
would  not  permit  it.  Some  one  will  stop  them." 

"  There  is  no  one  to  stop  them.  The  people  are  all 
against  us.  They  are  glad  of  it.  They  are  laughing. 
Oh!  how  I  hate  them.  Why  doesn't  God  kill  them?" 
And  with  a  prolonged,  inarticulate  roar  of  impotent 
grief  and  indignation,  the  boy  threw  himself  flat  on 
the  floor,  and  burying  his  face  in  his  arms  sobbed  and 
rolled,  and  rolled  and  sobbed,  like  one  in  a  fit. 

"  I  will  go  and  have  speech  with  this  son  of  Belial, 
Perez  Hamlin.  It  may  be  the  Lord  will  give  me 
strength  to  prevail  with  him,"  said  Mrs.  Edwards. 
"  And  if  not,  they  shall  not  put  me  from  my  husband. 
I  will  bear  the  stripes  with  him,  that  he  may  never  be 
ashamed  before  the  wife  of  his  bosom."  And  with  a 
calm  and  self-controlled  demeanor,  she  bestirred  her 
self  to  make  ready  to  go  out. 

"Let  me  go,  mother/'  said  Desire,  half  hesitatingly. 

"  It  is  not  your  place,  my  child.  I  am  his  wife,"  re 
plied  Mrs.  Edwards. 

"Yes,  mother,  but  Desire's  so  pretty,  and  this  Ham 
lin  fellow  stopped  the  horse-fiddles  just  to  please  her, 
the  other  time,"  whimpered  Jonathan.  "  Perhaps  he'd 
let  father  off  if  she  went.  Do  let  her  go,  mother." 

The  allusion  to  the  stopping  of  the  horse-fiddles  was 
meaningless  to  Mrs.  Edwards,  to  whose  ears  the  story 
had  never  come.  But  the  present  was  not  a  time  for 
general  inquiries.  It  sufficed  that  she  saw  the  main 
point,  the  persuasive  power  of  beauty  over  mankind. 

"It  may  be  that  you  had  better  go,"  she  said.  "If 
you  fail  I  will  go  myself  to  my  husband,  and  meantime 
I  shall  be  in  prayer  that  this  cup  may  pass  from  us." 

Hastily  the  girl  gathered  her  beautiful  disheveled 
hair  into  a  ribbon  behind,  removed  the  traces  of  tears 


230  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

from  her  wild  and  terror-stricken  eyes,  and  not  stop 
ping  even  for  her  hat,  in  her  fear  that  she  might  be  too 
late,  left  the  house  and  made  her  way  through  the 
throng  before  the  Fennell  house.  At  sight  of  her 
pallid  cheeks  and  set  lips,  the  ribald  jeer  died  on  the 
lips  even  of  the  drunken,  and  the  people  made  way  for 
her  in  silence.  It  was  not  that  they  had  ever  liked 
her,  or  now  sympathized  with  her — she  had  always 
held  herself  too  daintily  aloof  from  speech  or  contact 
with  them  for  that ;  but  they  guessed  her  errand,  and 
had  a  certain  rude  sense  of  the  pathos  of  such  a  humil 
iation  for  the  haughty  Desire  Edwards. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 
The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

As  Desire  entered  the  headquarters  room,  which 
Parson  West  had  barely  left,  Perez  was  sitting  at  a 
table  with  his  back  to  the  door.  He  turned  at  the 
sound  of  her  entrance,  and,  seeing  who  it  was,  gave  a 
great  start.  Then  he  rose  slowly  to  his  feet  and  con 
fronted  her.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  seen  her 
since  that  Sunday  when  she  cut  him  dead  before  all 
the  people,  coming  out  of  meeting.  For  a  moment  the 
two  stood  motionless,  gazing  at  each  other.  Then  she 
came  quickly  up  to  him  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his 
arm.  Her  dark  eyes  were  full  of  terrified  appeal. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  to  my  father? "  she  cried 
in  poignant  tones.  After  a  pause  he  repeated  stam- 
meringly,  as  if  he  had  not  quite  taken  in  the  idea : 

"Your  father?" 

"Yes,  my  father!  What  are  you  going  to  do  to 
him?  "  she  repeated  more  insistently. 

His  vacant  answer  had  been  no  affectation.  Her 
beauty,  her  distress,  the  touch  of  her  hand  on  his  arm, 
her  warm  breath  on  his  cheek,  her  face  so  near  to  his, 
left  him  capable  in  that  moment  of  but  one  thought, 
and  that  was  that  he  loved  her  wildly,  with  a  love 
which  it  had  been  madness  for  him  to  think  he  could 
ever  overcome  or  forget.  But  it  was  not  with  soft  and 
melting  emotions,  but  rather  in  great  bitterness,  that 
he  owned  the  mastery  of  the  passion  which  he  had 


232  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

tried  so  hard  to  throw  off.  He  knew  that  if  she  de 
spised  him  before,  she  must  hate  and  loathe  him  now. 
Knowing  this,  it  gave  him  a  cruel  pleasure  to  crush 
her,  and  to  make  her  tears  flow;  and  even  while  his 
glowing  eyes  devoured  her  face,  he  answered  her  in  a 
hard,  relentless  voice: 

"  What  am  I  going  to  do  with  your  father?  I  am  go 
ing  to  whip  him  with  the  others. " 

She  started  back,  stung  into  sudden  defiance,  her 
eyes  flashing,  her  bosom  tumultuously  heaving. 

"  You  will  not !     You  dare  not !  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied  coldly: 

"  If  you  are  so  sure  of  that,  why  did  you  come  to 
me?" 

"  Oh,  but  you  will  not !  You  will  not ! "  she  cried 
again,  her  terror  returning  with  a  rush  of  tears. 

Weeping,  she  was  even  more  beautiful  than  before. 
But  conscious  of  her  loathing,  her  beauty  only  caused 
him  an  intolerable  ache.  In  the  self-despite  of  an  em 
bittered,  hopeless  love  he  gloated  over  her  despair, 
even  while  every  nerve  thrilled  with  wildering  pas 
sion.  She  caught  that  look,  at  once  so  passionate  and 
so  bitter,  and  perhaps  by  her  woman's  instinct  inter 
preting  it  aright,  turned  away  as  in  despair,  and  with 
her  head  bent  in  hopeless  grief  walked  slowly  across 
the  room,  laid  her  hand  on  the  latch,  and  there  paused. 
After  a  moment  she  turned  her  head  quickly  and  looked 
at  him,  as  he  stood  gazing  after  her,  and  she  shuddered 
perceptibly.  Her  left  hand,  which  hung  at  her  side, 
clenched  convulsively.  Then  after  another  moment 
she  removed  her  hand  from  the  latch  and  came  back  a 
few  steps  toward  him,  saying: 

"  You  kissed  me  once.  Would  you  like  to  do  it  now  ? 
You  may  if  you  will  let  my  father  go." 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  233 

His  gaze,  before  so  glowing1,  actually  dropped  in 
confusion  before  her  cold,  hard  eyes,  and  for  a  mo 
ment  it  seemed  as  if  such  supreme  and  icy  indifference 
had  been  able  quite  to  chill  his  ardor.  But  as  he  lifted 
his  eyes  again  and  looked  upon  her,  the  temptation  of 
so  much  submissive  beauty  proved  too  great.  He 
snatched  her  in  his  arms  and  covered  her  lips,  and 
cheeks,  and  temples  with  burning  kisses,  for  one  alone 
of  which  he  would  have  deemed  it  cheap  to  give  his 
life  if  he  could  not  have  won  it  otherwise.  He  kissed 
her,  passive  and  unresisting  as  a  statue,  till  in  very 
pity  he  was  fain  to  let  her  go.  Even  then  she  did  not 
start  away,  but  standing  there  before  him,  pallid, 
rigid,  with  compressed  lips  and  clenched  hands,  said 
faintly, 

"You  will  release  my  father? "  He  bowed  his  head, 
unable  to  speak,  and  she  went  out. 

The  people  whispered  to  each  other  as  she  passed 
through  the  crowd  that  she  had  failed  in  her  mission, 
she  looked  so  white  and  anguish-stricken.  And  when 
she  reached  home,  and  throwing  herself  into  a  chair, 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  her  mother  said, 

"The  Lord's  will  be  done.     You  have  failed." 

"  No,  mother,  I  have  not  failed.  Father  will  be  re 
leased,  but  I  would  rather  have  borne  the  whipping  for 
him." 

But  that  was  all  she  said,  nor  did  she  tell  any  one  at 
what  price  she  had  delivered  him. 

Desire  had  scarcely  gone  when  the  door  opened  and 
Hubbard  and  Abner  came  in.  Perez  was  sitting,  star 
ing  at  the  wall  in  a  daze. 

"  Little  Pete's  come,  and  the  people  want  to  know 
when  the  whipping's  going  to  begin.  Shall  I  bring 
them  out?"  asked  Hubbard. 


234  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  I've  made  up  my  mind  that  it  will  be  better  to  have 
no  whipping,"  replied  Perez,  quietly. 

"The  devil  you  have!  "  exclaimed  Hubbard,  in  high 
dudgeon. 

"  I  know'd  haow  't  would  be  when  I  see  that  air  Ed 
wards  gal  goin'  in.  Ef  I'd  been  on  guard,  she'd  never 
ha'  got  in,"  said  Abner,  gloomily. 

"Who'd  have  supposed  Hamlin  was  such  a  milksop 
as  to  mind  a  girl's  bawling?  "  said  Hubbard,  scornfully. 

"The  fellers  is  kind  o'  sot  on  seein'  the  silk-stockin's 
licked,  naow  ye've  got  'em  inter  the  notion  on't,  an'  I 
dunno  haow  they'll  take  it  ter  be  disappointed,"  con 
tinued  Abner. 

There  was  a  shout  of  many  voices  from  before  the 
house. 

"  Bring  'em  out!     Bring  out  the  silk-stockin's!  " 

"Do  you  hear  that?"  demanded  Hubbard,  trium 
phantly.  "  I  tell  you,  Hamlin,"  he  went  on  in  a  bolder 
tone,  "you  can't  stop  this  thing,  whether  you  want  to 
or  not,  and  if  you  know  what's  best  for  you,  you  won't 
try.  I  tell  you  that  crowd  won't  stand  any  fooling. 
They're  mad,  and  they're  drunk,  and  they're  bound  to 
see  a  silk-stocking  whipped  for  once  in  their  lives,  and 
by  God !  they  shall  see  it,  too,  for  all  you  or  any  other 
man.  If  you  won't  order  them  brought  out,  I  will," 
and  he  went  out. 

Without  a  word,  Perez  took  his  pistols  from  the  table 
and  followed  him,  and  Abner,  who  seemed  irresolute 
and  demoralized,  went  slowly  after.  The  report  that 
Perez,  in  a  sudden  whim,  now  proposed  to  deprive 
them  of  the  treat  he  had  promised  them,  had  produced 
on  the  drunken  and  excited  crowd  all  the  effect  which 
Hubbard  had  counted  on,  and  as  Perez  reached  the 
front  door  of  the  house,  a  mass  of  men  with  brand- 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  235 

ished  clubs  and  muskets  were  pressing  around  it,  and 
the  sentinel,  hesitating  and  frightened,  in  another  mo 
ment  would  have  given  way  and  let  them  into  the 
building.  As  Perez,  a  pistol  in  either  hand,  appeared 
on  the  threshold,  the  crowd  recoiled  a  little. 

"  Stand  back!  "  he  said.  "  If  any  one  of  you  tries  to 
enter,  I'll  blow  his  brains  out.  The  men  in  here  are 
my  prisoners,  not  yours.  I  took  them  when  most  of 
you  were  snoring  in  bed,  and  I'll  do  what  I  please 
with  them.  As  for  Hubbard  and  these  West  Stock- 
bridge  men,  who  make  so  much  noise,  this  is  none  of 
their  business,  anyway.  If  they  don't  like  the  way  we 
manage  this  town,  let  them  go  home." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  Abner  shouldered  his  way 
by  him  from  within  and  stepped  out  between  him  and 
the  crowd.  Deliberately  taking  off  his  coat  and  laying 
it  down,  and  pitching  his  hat  after  it,  he  drawlingly 
observed : 

"  Look  here,  fellers.  I  be  ez  disapp'inted  ez  any 
on  ye,  not  ter  see  them  fellers  licked.  But  ye  see, 
't  wuz  the  cap'n  that  saved  my  back,  an'  it  don't  no 
how  lie  in  my  mouth  no  more'n  it  does  your'n  to  call 
names  naow  he's  took  a  notion  ter  save  their'n.  So 
now,  cap'n,"  he  continued,  as  he  drew  his  immense 
bulk  squarely  up,  "  I  guess  you  won't  need  them  shoot 
ers.  I'll  break  their  necks  ez  fast  ez  they  come  on." 

But  they  didn't  come  on.  Perez's  determined  attitude 
and  words,  especially  his  appeal  to  local  prejudice,  per 
haps  the  most  universal  and  virulent  of  all  human  in 
stincts,  would  of  themselves  have  sufficed  to  check  and 
divide  the  onset,  and  Abner's  businesslike  proposal 
quite  ended  the  demonstration. 

Two  hours  later,  when  most  of  the  people  had  gone 
home  to  dinner,  the  prisoners  were  quietly  set  free, 


236  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

and  went  to  their  homes  without  attracting  special  at 
tention.  About  twilight  a  carriage  rolled  away  from 
Squire  Woodbridge's  door,  and  took  the  road  to  Pitts- 
field.  The  next  day  it  was  known  all  over  the  village 
that  the  Squire  had  left  town,  without  giving  out  defi 
nitely  when  he  would  return. 

"Squire's  kind  o'  obstinit,  but  arter  all  he  knows 
when  he's  licked,"  observed  Abner,  which  was  sub 
stantially  the  general  view  taken  of  the  magnate's  re 
tirement  from  the  field. 

That  night  Perez  set  a  guard  of  a  dozen  men  at  the 
Fennell  house,  to  secure  the  town  military  stores 
against  any  possibility  of  recapture  by  another  silk- 
stocking  conspiracy ;  and  to  protect  the  community  still 
further  against  any  violent  enterprise,  he  organized  a 
regular  patrol  for  the  night.  If  any  of  the  disaffected 
party  were  desperate  enough  still  to  cherish  the  hope 
of  restoring  their  fortunes  by  force,  it  must  needs 
have  died  in  their  breasts  as,  looking  forth  from  their 
bedroom  windows  that  night,  they  caught  the  gleam 
of  the  moonlight  upon  the  bayonet  of  the  passing  sen 
tinel.  But  there  was  no  need  of  such  a  reminder. 
Decidedly,  the  spirit  of  the  court  party  was  broken. 
Had  their  leaders  actually  undergone  the  whipping 
they  had  so  narrowly  escaped,  they  would  have  scarce 
ly  been  more  impressed  with  the  abject  and  powerless 
situation  in  which  they  were  left  by  the  miscarriage  of 
their  plot.  The  quasi-military  occupation  of  the  town, 
the  night  after  the  attempted  revolution,  was  indeed 
welcomed  by  them  and  their  terrified  families  as  some 
guaranty  of  order.  So  entirely  had  the  revolution  of 
the  past  twenty-four  hours  changed  their  attitude  tow 
ard  Perez,  that  they  now  looked  on  him  as  their  sav 
ior  from  the  mob,  and  their  only  possible  protector 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  237 

against  indefinite  lengths  of  lawlessness.  It  was 
among  them,  rather  than  among  the  people,  that  the 
knowledge  of  his  intended  speedy  departure  for  New 
York  now  produced  the  liveliest  apprehensions.  And 
the  most  timid  of  the  popular  party  were  not  more  re 
lieved  than  they,  when  the  next  day  it  became  known 
that  he  had  declared  his  resolve  to  give  up  going  West, 
and  to  remain  in  Stockbridge  for  the  present. 

It  would  sound  much  better  if  I  could  represent  that 
this  abrupt  change  in  his  plans  was  on  account  of  con 
cern  for  the  welfare  of  the  community,  but  such  was 
not  the  case.  His  motive  was  wholly  selfish.  The  key 
to  it  was  the  discovery  that,  as  irresponsible  chief  of 
the  mob,  holding  the  fate  and  fortunes  of  her  friends 
in  his  power,  he  had  a  hold  on  Desire,  Unwilling 
brides  were  not  the  most  unhappy  wives.  Yes,  even 
to  that  height  had  his  hopes  suddenly  risen  from  the 
very  dust  in  which  they  had  lain  quite  dead  a  few 
hours  ago.  As  the  poor  ex-captain  and  farmer,  she 
had  held  him  afar  off  in  supercilious  scorn;  as  the 
chief  of  the  insurgents,  she  had  come  to  him  in  tears 
and  entreaty,  had  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm,  had  even 
given  him  her  lips.  With  that  scene  in  the  guardhouse 
to  look  back  on,  what  might  he  not  dare  to  hope? 

His  fate  was  in  his  own  hands.  Who  could  foresee 
the  end  of  the  epoch  of  revolution  and  anarchy  upon 
which  the  State  now  seemed  entering?  These  were 
times  when  the  sword  carved  out  fortunes  and  the  suc 
cessful  soldier  might  command  the  most  brilliant  re 
wards. 

No  sooner  had  he  resolved  to  stay  in  Stockbridge, 
than  he  set  about  strengthening  his  hold  on  his  fol 
lowers,  and  imparting  a  more  regular  military  organi 
zation  to  the  insurgent  element  in  the  town.  The 


238  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Fennell  house  was  adopted  as  a  regular  headquarters, 
and  a  young  hemlock  tree,  by  way  of  rebel  standard, 
was  planted  before  the  door.  Night  and  day  patrols, 
with  regular  officers  of  the  day,  were  organized,  and 
about  a  hundred  men  formed  into  a  company  and 
drilled  daily  on  the  green.  A  large  proportion  of 
them  having  served  in  the  Revolution,  they  made  a 
very  creditable  appearance  after  a  little  practice.  In 
their  hats  they  wore  hemlock  plumes,  jauntily  ad 
justed,  and  old  Continental  uniforms  being  still  quite 
plentiful,  with  a  little  swapping  and  borrowing  enough 
army  coats  were  picked  up  to  clothe  almost  the  entire 
force. 

One  afternoon,  as  the  drill  was  going  on,  a  traveling 
carriage  turned  in  from  the  Boston  road,  drove  across 
the  green  in  front  of  the  embattled  line,  and  turned 
down  toward  the  Housatonic,  stopped  before  the  Sedg- 
wick  house,  and  Theodore  Sedgwick  descended.  The 
next  day,  as  Perez  was  walking  along  the  street,  he  saw 
Doctor  Partridge,  Squire  Edwards,  and  a  gentleman  to 
him  unknown,  conversing.  As  he  approached  them, 
the  doctor  said,  in  the  good-humored,  yet  half-mocking 
tone  characteristic  of  him : 

"  Squire  Sedgwick,  let  me  introduce  to  you  the  Duke 
of  Stockbridge,  Captain  Perez  Hamlin,  to  whose  gra 
cious  protection  we  of  the  court  party  owe  our  lives 
and  liberties  at  present." 

Sedgwick  scanned  Perez  with  evident  curiosity,  but 
merely  bowed  without  speaking,  and  the  others  passed 
on.  Either  somebody  overheard  the  remark,  or  the 
doctor  repeated  it  elsewhere,  for  within  a  day  or  two  it 
was  all  over  town,  and  henceforth,  by  general  consent, 
half  in  jest,  half  in  recognition  of  the  aptness  of  the 
title  under  the  existing  conditions,  Perez  was  dubbed 


The  Duke  of  Stockb ridge  239 

the  Duke  of  Stockbridge,  or  more  briefly  referred  to  as 
"The  Duke." 

The  conversation  which  his  passing  had  momentarily 
interrupted  was  a  very  grave  one.  Theodore  Sedg- 
wick  had  passed  through  Springfield  in  his  carriage  on 
the  27th  of  September,  and  reported  that  he  had  found 
the  town  full  of  armed  men.  The  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  of  the  Commonwealth  was  to  have  met  on  the 
26th,  but  twelve  hundred  insurgents,  under  Captain 
Daniel  Shays  himself,  were  on  hand  to  prevent  it,  and 
were  confronted  by  eight  hundred  militia  under  Gen 
eral  Shepard,  who  held  the  court  house.  The  town 
was  divided  into  hostile  camps,  with  regular  lines  of 
sentinels.  At  the  time  Sedgwick  had  passed  through, 
no  actual  collision  had  yet  taken  place,  but  should  the 
justices  persist  in  their  intention  to  hold  court,  there 
would  certainly  be  fighting,  for  it  was  justly  appre 
hended  by  Shays  and  his  lieutenants  that  the  court  in 
tended  to  proceed  against  them  for  treason,  and  they 
would  stop  at  nothing  to  prevent  that.  It  was  this 
news  which  Sedgwick  was  imparting  to  the  two  gen 
tlemen. 

"We  have  a  big  business  on  our  hands,"  he  said 
gravely,  "  a  very  big,  and  a  very  delicate  business.  A 
little  bungling  will  be  enough  to  turn  it  into  a  civil 
war,  with  the  chances  all  against  the  government." 

"  I  don't  see  that  the  government,  as  yet,  has  done 
anything,"  said  Edwards.  "Do  they  intend  to  leave 
everything  to  the  mob? " 

"  Between  us,  there  is  really  nothing  that  can  be  done 
just  now,"  replied  Sedgwick.  "  The  passiveness  of  the 
government  results  from  their  knowledge  that  the 
militia  are  not  to  be  depended  on.  Why,  as  I  passed 
through  Springfield,  I  saw  whole  companies  of  militia 


240  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

that  had  been  called  out  by  the  sheriff  to  protect  the 
court,  march,  with  drums  beating,  over  to  the  insur 
gents.  No,  gentlemen,  there  is  actually  no  force 
that  could  be  confidently  counted  on  against  the  mob) 
save  a  regiment  or  two  in  Boston.  Weakness  leaves 
the  government  no  choice  but  to  adopt  a  policy  of 
conciliation  with  the  rascals,  for  the  present,  at  least. 
His  Excellency  has  called  the  legislature  in  extra  session 
on  the  26th,  and  a  number  of  measures  will  at  once  be 
passed  for  relief.  If  these  do  not  put  an  end  to  the 
mobs,  they  will,  it  is  hoped,  at  least  so  far  improve  the 
public  temper  that  a  part  of  the  militia  will  be  available. " 

"It  is  a  mysterious  dispensation,  indeed,"  he  con 
tinued,  "  that  our  State,  in  the  infancy  of  its  independ 
ence,  is  left  to  undergo  so  fearful  a  trial.  Already 
there  are  many  of  the  tories  who  wag  the  head  and  say 
*  Aha!  so  would  we  have  it, '  averring  that  this  insurrec 
tion  is  but  the  first  fruits  of  our  liberty,  and  that  the 
rest  will  be  like  unto  it." 

"  God  grant  that  we  may  not  have  erred  in  throwing 
off  the  yoke  of  the  king,"  said  Edwards,  gloomily.  "  I 
do  confess  that  I  have  had  much  exercise  of  mind  upon 
that  point  during  the  trials  of  the  past  weeks." 

"  I  beg  of  you,  sir,  not  to  give  way  to  such  a  frame 
of  mind,"  said  Sedgwick,  earnestly,  "  for  it  is  to  gentle 
men  of  your  degree  that  the  well  disposed  look  for 
guidance  and  encouragement  in  these  times.  And 
yet  I  am  constrained  to  admit  that  in  Boston  at  no 
time  in  the  late  war,  no,  not  when  our  fortunes  were 
at  the  lowest  ebb,  has  there  been  such  gloom  as  now. 
And  verily  I  could  not  choose  but  to  share  it,  but  for 
my  belief  that  the  convention,  which  is  shortly  to  sit 
in  Philadelphia  to  devise  a  more  perfect  union  for  the 
thirteen  States,  will  pave  the  way  for  a  stronger  gov- 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  241 

eminent  of  the  continent,  and  one  that  will  guarantee 
us  not  only  against  foreign  invasion,  but  domestic  vio 
lence  and  insurrection  also." 

"  We  had  best  separate  now,"  said  Partridge  in  alow 
voice.  "  If  the  populace  see  but  two  or  three  of  us 
having  our  heads  together,  they  straightway  imagine 
that  we  are  plotting  against  them,  and  I  see  those  fel 
lows  yonder  are  sending  black  looks  this  way  already. " 

"  I  shall  do  myself  the  honor,"  he  added,  to  Sedg- 
wick,  "to  call  upon  you  at  your  house  for  further 
consultation,  since  under  the  pretext  of  a  physician's 
duty,  I  am  allowed  by  their  high  mightinesses,  the 
rabble,  to  go  about  more  freely  than  is  prudent  for 
other  gentlemen. " 

The  next  day  the  news  from  Springfield,  which 
Sedgwick  had  privately  brought,  reached  the  village 
from  other  sources,  together  with  the  developments 
since  his  passage  through  the  town.  It  seemed  that 
there  had  indeed  been  no  collision  between  the  militia 
and  the  rebel  force,  but  it  was  because  the  Supreme 
Court  had,  after  demurring  for  two  days,  finally  yielded 
to  the  orders  of  Captain  Shays  and  adjourned,  after 
which  the  rebels  took  triumphant  possession  of  the 
court  house.  The  elation  which  the  news  produced 
among  the  people  was  prodigious.  Perez  doubled  the 
patrols,  and  even  then  had  to  wink  at  a  good  many  acts 
of  lawlessness  at  the  expense  of  the  friends  of  the  courts. 
Nothing  but  his  personal  interposition  prevented  a 
drunken  gang  from  giving  Sedgwick  a  tin-pan  sere 
nade.  As  for  Squire  Edwards,  he  was  glad  to  purchase 
immunity  at  the  expense  of  indiscriminate  treating  of 
the  crowd. 

Whether  the  Supreme  Court  would  attempt  to  hold 
its  regular  session  the  first  week  in  October,  at  Great 
16 


242  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Harrington,  was  a  point  on  which  there  was  a  diversity 
of  opinion.  Before  adjourning  at  Springfield,  it  had 
indeed  passed  resolutions  that  it  would  not  be  expe 
dient  to  go  to  Berkshire,  but  it  was  loudly  declared 
by  many  that  this  was  a  mere  trick  to  put  the  people 
off  their  guard  and  prevent  their  assembling  in  arms 
to  stop  the  proceedings.  Accordingly,  when  the  time 
came,  although  the  justices  did  not  put  in  an  appear 
ance,  a  mob  of  several  hundred  men  did,  and  a  very 
ugly  mob  it  turned  out  to  be, — in  fact,  the  worst  hith 
erto  in  the  entire  course  of  the  insurrection.  Finding 
no  court  to  stop,  and  the  empty  jail  affording  no  op 
portunity  for  another  jail  delivery,  the  crowd,  after 
loafing  around  town  for  a  while  and  getting  thirsty, 
began  to  break  into  houses  to  get  liquor.  A  begin 
ning  once  made,  this  was  found  to  be  such  an  amusing 
recreation  that  it  was  gone  into  generally,  and  when 
liquor  could  not  be  found  the  men  contented  them 
selves  with  appropriating  other  articles.  The  fun 
growing  fast  and  furious,  they  next  began  to  hustle 
and  stone  prominent  citizens  known  to  be  friendly  to 
the  courts,  as  well  as  such  as  objected  to  having  their 
houses  entered  and  gutted.  When  their  victims  broke 
away  from  them  and  fled,  being  too  drunk  to  overtake 
them,  it  was  quite  natural  that  they  should  fire  their 
muskets  after  them,  and  if  the  bullets  did  not  gener 
ally  hit  their  marks  it  was  merely  because  the  hands 
of  the  marksmen  were  as  unsteady  as  their  legs. 
Some  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Great  Barring- 
ton  passed  the  day  hid  in  outhouses  and  garrets,  while 
others,  mounted  on  fleet  steeds,  escaped  amid  a  pelting 
of  bullets,  and  took  refuge  in  neighboring  towns,  many 
going  as  far  as  Pittsfield  before  they  halted. 

Squire  Sedgwick  chanced  to  be  at  Great  Barrington 


The  Duke  of  Stockbridge  243 

that  day,  at  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  Justice 
Dwight.  As  a  lawyer,  an  aristocrat,  and  a  member 
of  the  detested  State  Senate,  he  not  only  shared  the 
general  unpopularity  of  those  classes,  but  as  prosecut 
ing  attorney  for  the  county,  was  in  particularly  evil 
odor  with  the  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  who 
were  to-day  at  mischief.  When  the  uproar  was  at  its 
height,  word  got  around  that  he  was  in  town,  and  im 
mediately  the  mob  dropped  whatever  was  in  hand,  and 
rushed  in  a  body  toward  Dwight's  house.  As  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  house  a  servant  was  holding  Sedg 
wick 's  gray  horse  by  the  bridle  before  the  gate.  Fear 
ing  that  their  prey  might  yet  escape  them,  the  crowd 
broke  into  a  run,  brandishing  cudgels,  guns,  and  pitch 
forks,  and  yelling,  "Kill  him,"  "Hang  him,"  "Shoot 
him."  They  were  not  fifty  yards  away  when  Sedg- 
wick  came  out  and  deliberately  mounted  his  horse. 
The  beast  was  a  good  one,  and  the  distance  was 
enough  to  make  his  rider's  escape  perfectly  secure. 
But  instead  of  galloping  off,  Sedgwick  turned  his 
horse's  head  toward  the  onrushing,  hooting  multitude, 
and  rode  at  a  gentle  trot  directly  toward  them.  It 
seemed  like  madness,  but  the  effect  fully  justified  the 
cool  daring  that  had  prompted  the  action.  With  the 
first  forward  step  of  the  animal,  the  moment  the  rid 
er's  intention  became  evident,  the  mob  stopped  dead, 
and  the  uproar  of  execrations  gave  place  to  a  silence  of 
perfect  astonishment,  in  which  you  could  have  heard 
the  swish  of  a  bird's  wing.  As  the  horse's  head 
touched  the  line  of  men,  they  slunk  aside  as  if  they 
knew  not  what  they  did,  their  eyes  falling  abashed  be 
fore  Sedgwick 's  quiet  glance  and  air,  as  devoid  of  a 
trace  of  fear  as  it  was  of  ostentatious  defiance.  The 
calm,  unquestioning  assumption  that  no  one  would 


\Al 


244  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

presume  to  stop  him  was  a  moral  force  which  para 
lyzed  the  arm  of  the  most  reckless  ruffian  in  the  crowd. 
And  so,  checking  his  horse  when  he  would  have  gone 
faster,  his  features  as  composed  as  if  he  were  sitting 
in  the  senate,  and  his  bearing  as  cool  and  matter-of- 
course  as  if  he  were  on  a  promenade,  he  rode  through 
the  mob,  and  had  passed  out  of  musket-shot  by  the 
time  the  demoralized  ruffians  had  begun  to  accuse  each 
other  of  cowardice,  and  each  one  to  explain  what  he 
would  have  done  if  he  had  been  in  somebody  else's 
place,  or  would  do  if  the  occasion  again  offered. 


CHAPTER   XX. 
Two  Critical  Interviews 

THE  news  of  the  riot  at  Great  Barrington,  brought 
by  Sedgwick,  excited  a  ferment  of  terror  among  the 
gentlemen's  families  in  Stockbridge.  Later  in  the 
day  when  the  report  was  heard  that  the  mob  intended 
to  visit  the  latter  place  and  treat  it  in  like  manner, 
there  was  little  less  than  a  panic.  The  real  facts  of 
the  Great  Barrington  outrages,  quite  bad  enough  in 
themselves,  had  been  exaggerated  ten-fold  by  rumor, 
and  it  was  believed  that  the  town  was  in  flames  and 
the  streets  full  of  murder  and  rapine.  Some  already 
began  to  barricade  their  doors,  in  preparation  for  the 
worst,  while  others  who  had  horses  and  vehicles  pre 
pared  to  convey  a  part  at  least  of  their  families  and 
goods  out  of  reach  of  the  marauders.  There  were 
several  in  the  village  who  well  remembered  the  alarm, 
"The  Indians  are  coming!"  that  summer  Sunday, 
when  the  Schaghticokes  came  down  on  the  infant  set 
tlement,  one-and-thirty  years  before.  There  was 
scarcely  wilder  terror  then,  but  one  point  of  difference 
sadly  illustrated  the  distinction  between  a  foreign  in 
vasion  and  a  civil  war.  Then  all  the  people  were  in 
the  same  fright,  but  now  the  panic  was  confined  to  the 
well-to-do  families  and  those  conscious  of  being  con 
sidered  friendly  to  the  courts.  The  poorer  people 
looked  on  their  agitation  with  indifference,  while  many 
even  jeered  at  it. 


246  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

The  afternoon  wore  away,  however,  and  the  expected 
mob  failed  to  make  its  appearance,  whereupon  the  peo 
ple  gradually  took  heart  again.  Those  who  had  put 
their  furniture  into  carts  unloaded  it,  and  those  who 
had  buried  their  silver  in  their  cellars  dug  it  up  to  use 
on  the  tea-table.  Nevertheless,  along  about  dusk,  a 
good  many  men  living  in  Stockbridge,  who  had  been 
at  Great  Barrington  all  day,  came  home  drunk  and 
hot  with  mischief;  and  these,  with  the  aid  of  some 
of  the  same  kidney  in  the  village,  kept  up  a  riotous- 
ness  all  the  evening,  varied  with  petty  outrages 
which  Perez  thought  best  to  ignore,  knowing  too  well 
the  precarious  tenure  of  his  authority  to  endanger  it  by 
overstrictness.  Perhaps,  indeed,  he  was  not  wholly 
averse  to  such  occasional  displays  by  the  mob  as 
would  keep  before  the  gentlemen  of  the  town  a  vivid 
impression  of  what  would  be  in  store  for  them  but  for 
his  guardianship. 

It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  that,  com 
ing  in  sight  of  the  store,  he  saw  it  besieged  by  a  gang 
of  men,  with  whom  Squire  Edwards,  visible  against 
the  background  of  the  lighted  doorway,  was  expostulat 
ing.  The  men  were  drunk  and  reckless.  They 
wanted  rum  and  were  bound  to  have  it,  and  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Squire  had  evidently  made  up  his 
mind  that  if  they  got  into  his  store  in  their  present 
mood,  they  would  be  likely  to  plunder  him  of  whatever 
he  had,  and  drawing  valor  from  desperation,  was  oppos 
ing  a  resistance  which  involved  no  small  personal 
peril.  The  crowd,  besides  being  drunk,  was  composed 
of  the  very  men  who  had  grudged  him  his  escape 
from  the  whipping-post  a  few  days  previous,  and  was 
by  no  means  disposed  to  stand  on  ceremony  with  him. 
Already  he  was  being  hustled,  his  wig  had  been  dis- 


Two  Critical  Interviews  247 

placed,  and  his  cane  struck  out  of  his  hand,  and  in 
another  minute  he  would  have  been  knocked  down  and 
the  store  thronged.  The  light  of  a  blazing  bonfire  on 
the  green  threw  glimmering  reflections  upon  the  crowd 
before  the  store,  and  Edwards,  catching  sight  of  Perez's 
three-cornered  hat,  cried  in  desperation : 

"Captain  Hamlin,  will  you  let  them  kill  me?" 

In  another  moment  Perez  was  up  on  the  piazza,  in 
full  view  of  the  crowd,  which,  somewhat  abashed  by  his 
presence,  for  a  moment  drew  back  a  little. 

"What  do  you  want,  men?  You  ought  not  to  break 
into  people's  houses!  You  mustn't  disgrace  the  hem 
lock." 

"That's  all  mighty  fine,  cap'n,"  said  Meshech  Little, 
"but  we  want  suthin'  ter  drink." 

"Why  don't  you  get  it  at  the  tavern?" 

"The  widder  won't  treat  no  more,  an'  she's  kind  o' 
got  Abner  bewitched-like,  so's  he  backs  her  up,  an'  we 
can't  git  nothin'  there  'thout  fightin'  Abner,  darn 
him." 

"  I  say,  cap'n,  't  ain't  fair  fer  yew  ter  be  a-interferin' 
with  all  our  fun,"  spoke  up  another. 

"That's  so,"  said  others. 

"Cap'n,"  remarked  Meshech,  "yew  jest  let  us  'lone; 
we  hain't  a-techin'  yew,  an'  we're  baoun'  ter  hev  a 
time  ter-night." 

Perez  knew  well  enough  that  to  attempt  wholly  to 
thwart  the  intentions  of  this  excited  and  drunken 
crowd  would  be  beyond  his  power,  or  at  least  might 
involve  a  bloody  riot,  and  so  he  replied,  good-naturedly, 

"That's  all  right,  boys,  you  shall  have  your  time, 
but  it  won't  do  to  break  into  houses.  Go  over  to  the 
guardhouse  and  tell  Abe  Konkapot  that  I  say  you  may 
have  a  couple  of  gallons  of  the  town  rum  we  seized  the 


248  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

other  night."  This  compromise  was  tmrmltuously  ac 
cepted,  the  entire  crowd  starting  on  a  run  toward  the 
Fennell  house,  each  hoping  to  get  the  first  advantage 
of  the  largess. 

"Come  in,  captain,"  said  Edwards,  and  Perez  en 
tered. 

Mrs.  Edwards,  Desire,  and  Jonathan  were  in  the 
store,  having  hurried  thither  from  the  inner  living- 
rooms  at  the  noise  of  the  crowd,  to  share,  if  they  could 
not  repel,  the  danger  which  threatened  the  head  of  the 
house.  As  Jonathan  quickly  closed  and  barred  the 
door,  Edwards  said, 

"  Wife,  I  owe  my  property  and  perhaps  my  life,  also, 
to  Captain  Hamlin." 

Mrs.  Edwards  dropped  a  stately  curtsey,  and  said 
with  a  grand  air  which  made  Perez  feel  as  if  her  ac 
knowledgments  were  a  condescension  quite  dwarfing 
his  performance : 

"  I  truly  thank  you  for  your  succor. "  He  mumbled 
something,  he  could  not  have  said  what,  and  then  his 
eyes  sought  Desire,  who  stood  a  little  aside.  As  he 
met  her  eye,  he  found  himself  blushing  with  embar 
rassment  at  the  thought  of  their  last  interview.  He  had 
supposed  that  it  would  be  she  who  would  be  confused 
and  self-conscious  when  they  met,  but  such  feelings 
were  all  on  his  side.  She  looked  cool,  dignified,  and  per 
fectly  composed,  quite  as  if  he  were  a  stock  or  a  stone. 
He  could  but  wonder  if  he  had  remembered  the  incidents 
correctly.  What  with  Mrs.  Ed  wards 's  grand  air  of 
condescending  politeness,  and  Desire's  icy  composure, 
he  began  to  feel  that  he  needed  to  get  out  of  doors 
again,  where  he  could  review  the  situation  and  recover 
his  equanimity.  But  on  his  making  a  movement  in 
that  direction,  Squire  Edwards,  who  had  no  notion  of 


Two  Critical  Interviews  249 

parting1  with  the  protection  of  his  presence  just  at 
present,  insisted  that  he  should  first  go  into  the  parlor, 
and  Mrs.  Edwards  dutifully  and  impressively  seconding 
the  invitation,  he  found  himself  without  choice.  The 
education  of  the  camp,  while  it  may  adapt  a  man  to  com 
mand  other  men,  does  not  necessarily  fit  him  to  shine 
in  the  drawing-room.  Perez  stepped  on  his  own  toes 
once  or  twice  in  passing  through  the  store,  and  in  the 
parlor  doorway,  to  his  intense  mortification,  he  jostled 
heavily  against  Desire.  He  plumped  down  in  the  easi 
est  chair  in  the  room,  before  being  invited  to  sit  at  all, 
and  changing  hastily  from  that  to  a  stool  too  small  for 
him,  at  the  third  attempt  settled  in  a  chair  of  the  right 
size.  It  was  only  then  that  he  remembered  to  take 
off  his  hat,  and  having  crossed  and  uncrossed  his  legs 
several  times,  and  tried  numerous  postures,  finally  sat 
bolt  upright,  gripping  the  lapels  of  his  coat  with  his 
hands.  As  for  any  tender  emotions  on  account  of  the 
girl  who  sat  near  him,  he  was  scarcely  conscious  of 
her  presence,  save  as  an  added  element  of  embarrass 
ment. 

"  I  understand  that  you  have  served  at  the  South, 
Captain  Hamlin,"  said  Mrs.  Edwards. 

"Yes,  I  thank  you,"  he  replied. 

"  You  were  with  General  Greene,  perhaps? " 

"Yes — that  is — yes,  ma'am." 

"  How  is  )Tour  mother's  health? " 

"Very  well  indeed, — that  is,  when  she  isn't  sick. 
She  is  generally  sick." 

"Indeed." 

"Yes,  but  she's  pretty  well  otherwise.  How  are 
you? "  the  last  desperately. 

"Oh,  thanks,  I'm  quite  well,"  Mrs.  Edwards  replied, 
with  a  slight  elevation  of  the  eyebrows.  Somehow  he 


250  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

felt  that  he  ought  not  to  have  asked  that,  and  then  he 
made  another  desperate  resolution  to  go  home. 

"  I  think  they'll  be  looking  for  me  at  home,"  he  said, 
tentatively  rising  half-way  from  his  chair.  "  Father 
isn't  well,  you  see."  He  had  a  vague  feeling  that  he 
could  not  go  unless  they  formally  admitted  the  adequacy 
of  his  excuse. 

At  that  moment  there  came  the  noise  of  an  ax  from 
the  green,  accompanied  by  shouts. 

"  What  is  that? "  asked  Mrs.  Edwards  of  her  husband, 
who  entered  from  the  store  at  that  moment. 

"The  rascals — that  is — "  he  corrected  himself  with  a 
glance  at  Perez,  "the  men  are  chopping  down  the 
whipping-post  to  put  on  the  bonfire.  You  were  not 
thinking  of  going  so  soon,  Captain  Hamlin?  "  he  added 
with  evident  concern. 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  will  go,"  said  Perez,  straightening  up 
and  assuming  a  resolute  air. 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  be  so  hasty,"  said  Mrs.  Edwards, 
taking  her  husband's  cue,  and  Perez  abjectly  sat  down 
again. 

"  You  must  partake  of  my  hospitality,"  said  Edwards. 
"  Jonathan,  draw  a  decanter  of  that  old  Jamaica.  De 
sire,  bring  us  tumblers." 

The  only  thought  of  Perez  was  that  the  liquor  would 
perhaps  brace  him  up  a  little,  and  to  that  end  he  filled 
his  tumbler  well  up  and  did  not  refuse  a  second  invita 
tion.  The  result  answered  his  expectations.  In  a 
very  few  moments  he  began  to  feel  much  more  at  ease. 
The  incubus  upon  his  faculties  seemed  lifted.  His 
muscles  relaxed.  He  recovered  the  free  control  of  his 
tongue  and  his  eyes.  Whereas  he  had  previously  been 
conscious  only  of  Mrs.  Edwards,  and  but  vaguely  of 
the  room  in  which  they  were  and  its  other  inmates,  he 


Two  Critical  Interviews  251 

now  began  to  look  around,  and  take  cognizance  of  per 
sons  and  things,  and  even  found  himself  compliment 
ing  his  host  on  the  quality  of  the  rum  with  an  ease  at 
which  he  was  surprised.  He  could  readily  have  mus 
tered  courage  enough  now  to  take  his  leave,  but  he 
no  longer  felt  in  haste.  As  I  said  before,  he  had 
heretofore  but  vaguely  taken  notice  of  Desire,  as  she 
had  sat  silently  near  by.  Now  he  became  conscious 
of  her.  He  observed  her  closely.  He  had  never  seen 
her  dressed  as  she  was  now,  in  a  low-necked,  white 
gown  with  short  sleeves.  In  his  state  of  mind  a  few 
moments  before,  such  new  revelations  of  her  beauty 
would  have  daunted  him,  would  have  actually  added  to 
his  demoralization,  but  now  he  contemplated  her  with 
an  intense,  elated  complacency.  It  was  easier  talking 
with  Mr.  Edwards  than  with  madam,  and  half  an  hour 
had  passed  when  Perez  rose  and  said,  this  time  with 
out  trying  to  excuse  himself,  that  he  must  go.  Mrs. 
Edwards  had  some  time  before  excused  herself  from 
the  room.  Jonathan  had  also  gone.  Desire  bade  him 
good  evening,  and  Squire  Edwards  led  the  way  into 
the  store  to  show  him  out.  But  Perez,  after  starting  to 
follow  him,  abruptly  turned  back,  and  crossing  the 
room  to  where  Desire  stood  held  out  his  hand.  She 
hesitated,  and  then  put  her  own  hand  in  his.  He 
raised  it  to  his  lips,  although  she  tried  to  snatch  it 
away,  and  then,  as  if  the  touch  had  maddened  him,  he 
audaciously  drew  her  to  him  and  kissed  her  lips.  She 
broke  away,  shivering  and  speechless.  Then  he  saw 
her  face  crimson  to  the  roots  of  her  hair.  She  had 
seen  her  mother  standing  in  the  doorway,  looking  at 
her.  But  Perez,  as  he  turned  and  went  out  through 
the  store,  did  not  perceive  this.  Had  he  turned  to 
look  back,  he  would  have  witnessed  a  striking  picture. 


252  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Desire  had  thrown  herself  into  a  chair  and  buried 
her  face  in  her  arms,  against  whose  rounded  whiteness 
the  crimsoned  ear-tips  and  temples  testified  to  the 
glow  of  shame  upon  the  hidden  face,  while  her  mother 
stood  gazing  at  her,  amazement  and  indignation  pic 
tured  on  her  face.  For  a  full  half  minute  she  stood 
thus,  and  then  said : 

"  My  daughter,  what  does  this  mean? " 
There  was  no  answer,  save  that,  at  the  voice  of  her 
mother,  a  warmer  glow  appeared  upon  the  nape  of  the 
girl's  neck,  and  even  spread  over  the  snowy  shoulders, 
while  her  form  shook  with  a  single  convulsive  sob. 

"Desire,  tell  me  this  instant!"  commanded  Mrs. 
Edwards. 

The  girl  threw  up  her  head  and  faced  her  mother, 
her  eyes  blazing  with  indignant  shame  and  glistening 
with  tears,  which  were  quite  dried  up  by  her  hot 
cheeks  ere  they  had  run  half  their  course. 

"You  saw,"  she  said  in  a  low,  hard,  fierce  tone,  "the 
fellow  kissed  me.  He  does  it  when  he  pleases.  I 
have  no  one  to  protect  me. " 

"  Why  do  you  let  him?  Why  didn't  you  cry  out? " 
"And  let  father  be  whipped,  let  him  be  killed! 
Don't  you  know  why  I  didn't?"  cried  the  girl  in  a 
voice  hoarse  with  excitement  and  overwhelming  exas 
peration  that  the  motive  of  the  sacrifice  should  not  be 
understood,  even  for  a  moment.  She  had  sprung  to 
her  feet  and  was  facing  her  mother. 

"  Was  it  for  this  that  he  released  your  father  the 
other  day? " 

Desire  looked  at  her  mother  without  a  word,  in  a 
way  that  was  an  answer.  Mrs.  Edwards  seemed  com 
pletely  overcome,  while  Desire  met  her  horrified  gaze 
with  a  species  of  desperate  hardihood. 


Two   Critical  Interviews  253 

"Yes,  it  is  I,"  she  said,  in  a  shrill,  nervously  excited 
tone.  "  It  is  your  daughter,  Desire  Edwards,  whom 
this  fellow  has  for  a  sweetheart.  Oh,  yes !  He  kisses 
me  where  he  chooses,  and  I  do  not  cry  out.  Isn't  it 
fine?  ha!  ha!"  and  then  her  overstrained  feelings  find 
ing  expression  in  a  burst  of  hysterical  laughter,  she 
threw  herself  back  into  her  chair,  and  buried  her  face 
in  her  arms  on  the  table  as  at  first. 

"What's  the  matter?  What  ails  the  girl?"  de 
manded  Edwards,  coming  in  from  the  store,  and  view 
ing  the  scene  with  great  surprise. 

"  The  matter? "  replied  Mrs.  Edwards  slowly.  "  The 
matter  is  this :  As  that  fellow  was  leaving,  and  your  back 
was  turned,  he  took  our  daughter  here  and  hugged  and 
kissed  her,  and  though  she  resisted  what  she  could,  she 
did  not  cry  out.  I  stood  in  that  door  and  saw  it  with 
my  own  eyes.  When  I  called  her  to  account  for  this 
scandal,  she  began  vehemently  to  weep,  and  protested 
that  she  dared  not  anger  him  by  outcry,  fearing  for 
your  life  if  he  were  offended.  And  she  further  hinted 
that  it  was  not  the  first  time  he  had  had  the  kiss 
ing  of  her.  Nay,  she  as  good  as  said  it  was  with 
kisses  that  she  ransomed  you  out  of  his  hands  the 
other  day." 

Edwards  listened  with  profound  interest,  but  with 
more  evidence  of  curiosity  than  agitation,  and  after 
thinking  a  few  moments,  said  thoughtfully : 

"  I  have  marveled  much  by  what  manner  of  argu 
ment  she  compassed  our  deliverance,  after  the  parson, 
a  man  mighty  in  persuasion  and  rebuke,  had  wholly 
failed  therein.  Verily,  the  devices  of  God  for  the  pro 
tection  of  his  saints  in  troublous  times  are  past  under 
standing.  To  this  very  intent,  doubtless,  was  the  gift 
of  comeliness  bestowed  on  the  maiden,  a  matter  where- 


254  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

fore  I  have  often,  in  much  perplexity,  inquired  of  the 
Lord,  seeing  that  it  is  a  gift  that  often  brings  the  soul 
into  jeopardy  through  vain  thoughts.  But  now  is  the 
matter  made  plain  to  my  eyes." 

It  was  no  light  thing  in  those  days  for  a  wife  to  re 
proach  her  lord,  but  Mrs.  Ed  wards 's  eyes  fairly  light 
ened  as  she  demanded  with  a  forced  calm : 

"Will  you,  then,  give  up  your  daughter  to  these 
lewd  fellows,  as  Lot  would  have  given  up  his  daughters 
to  save  his  house?  " 

"  Tut !  tut !  "  said  Edwards,  frowning.  "  Your  speech 
is  unbridled  and  unseemly.  I  am  not  worthy  to  be 
likened  to  that  holy  man  of  old,  for  whose  sake  the 
Lord  well  nigh  saved  Sodom,  nor  am  I  placed  in  so 
sore  a  strait.  You  spoke  of  nothing  worse  than  kiss 
ing.  The  girl  will  not  be  the  worse,  I  trow,  for  a 
buss  or  two.  Women  are  not  so  mighty  tender. 
So  long  as  the  girls  like  not  the  kissing,  be  sure 
't  will  do  them  no  harm,  eh,  Desire?"  and  he  pinched 
her  arm. 

She  snatched  it  away,  and  rushing  across  the  room, 
threw  herself  upon  the  settle,  with  her  face  in  the 
cushion. 

"Pish!"  said  her  father,  peevishly,  "she  grudges  a 
kiss  to  save  her  father  from  disgrace  and  ruin.  It  is  a 
sinful,  proud  wench !  " 

"Proud!"  echoed  the  girl,  raising  her  tear-stained 
face  from  the  cushion  and  sitting  up.  "  I  was  proud, 
but  I'm  not  any  more.  All  the  rabble  are  welcome  to 
kiss  me,  seeing  my  father  thinks  it  no  shame." 

"  Pshaw,  child,  what  a  coil  about  a  kiss  or  two,  just 
because  the  fellow  smells  a  little,  maybe,  of  the  barn ! 
Can't  you  wash  your  face  after?  Take  soap  to  't,  and 
save  your  tears.  Bless  me !  you  shall  hide  in  the  gar- 


Two  Critical  Interviews  255 

ret  after  this,  but  for  my  part,  I  shall  still  treat  the 
fellow  civilly,  for  he  holds  us,  as  it  were,  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand,"  and  he  went  into  the  store  in  a  pet. 

There  was  one  redeeming  feature  about  the  disturb 
ances  in  Stockbridge.  The  early  bedtime  habits  of  the 
people  were  too  deeply  fixed  to  be  affected  by  any  politi 
cal  revolution,  and  however  noisy  the  streets  might  be 
soon  after  dusk,  by  half -past  nine  or  ten  o'clock  all  was 
quiet.  As  Perez  crossed  the  green,  after  leaving  the 
store,  the  only  sound  that  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night 
was  the  rumble  of  wheels  on  the  Boston  road.  It  was 
Sedgwick's  carriage,  bearing  him  back  to  the  capital, 
to  take  his  seat  in  the  already  convened  State  Senate. 
If  his  flying  visit  home  had  been  a  failure  so  far  as  his 
law  business  before  the  Supreme  Court  was  concerned, 
it  had  at  least  enabled  him  to  gain  a  vivid  conception 
of  the  extent  and  virulence  of  the  insurrection. 

There  was  really  a  good  deal  more  than  a  joke  in 
calling  Perez  the  Duke  of  Stockbridge.  The  ante 
chamber  of  the  headquarters  room,  at  the  guardhouse, 
was  often  half  full  of  a  morning  with  gentlemen,  and 
those  of  lower  degree  as  well,  waiting  to  see  him  with 
requests.  Some  wanted  passes,  or  authority  to  go  out 
of  town,  or  to  carry  goods  away.  Others  had  com 
plaints  of  orchards  robbed,  property  stolen,  or  other 
injuries  from  the  lawless,  with  petitions  for  redress. 
The  variety  of  cases  in  which  Perez's  intervention  as 
the  only  substitute  for  law  in  the  village  was  being 
constantly  demanded,  it  would  be  difficult  to  enumer 
ate.  In  addition  to  this,  he  had  the  military  affairs  of 
the  insurgent  train-band  to  order,  besides  transacting 
business  with  the  agents  of  neighboring  towns,  and 
even  with  messengers  from  Captain  Shays,  who  already 
had  begun  to  call  on  the  Berkshire  towns  for  quotas  to 


256  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

swell  the  rebel  forces,  of  which  a  regular  military  organi 
zation  was  now  being  attempted. 

An  informal  sort  of  constitutional  convention  at  the 
tavern  had  committed  the  general  government  of  the 
town,  pending  the  present  troubles,  to  a  committee  of 
Correspondence,  Inspection  and  Safety,  consisting  of 
Perez  Hamlin,  Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps,  but 
the  two  latter  left  practically  everything  to  Perez. 
There  was  not  in  this  improvised  form  of  town  gov 
ernment,  singular  as  it  strikes  us,  anything  very  novel 
or  startling  to  the  people  of  the  village,  accustomed  as 
they  were  all  through  the  war  to  the  discretionary  and 
almost  despotic  sway,  in  internal  as  well  as  external 
affairs,  of  the  town  revolutionary  committees  of  the 
same  name.  These,  at  first  irregular,  were  subse 
quently  recognized  alike  by  the  Continental  and  State 
authorities,  and  on  them  the  work  of  carrying  the  peo 
ple  through  the  war  practically  and  chiefly  fell.  In 
Berkshire,  indeed,  the  offices  of  these  revolutionary 
committees  had  been  even  more  multifarious  and  ex 
tensive  than  in  the  other  counties,  for  owing  to  the 
course  of  Berkshire  in  refusing  to  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  State  government  from  1775  to  1780, 
and  the  consequent  suppression  of  courts  during  that 
period,  even  judicial  functions  had  often  devolved 
upon  the  committees,  and  suits  at  law  had  been  heard 
and  determined,  and  the  verdicts  enforced  by  them. 
To  the  town  meeting  alone  did  the  revolutionary  com 
mittees  hold  themselves  responsible.  The  effect  of  the 
outbreak  of  the  revolutionary  war  had  been,  indeed,  to 
reduce  democracy  to  its  simplest  terms.  The  Conti 
nental  Congress  had  no  power,  and  pretended  only  to 
recommend  and  advise.  The  State  government,  by 
sundering  its  relations  with  the  crown,  lost  its  legal 


Two  Critical  Interviews  257 

title,  and  for  some  time  after  the  war  began,  and  as 
regards  Berkshire,  until  the  county  voted  to  accept  the 
new  State  constitution  in  1780,  its  authority  was  not 
recognized.  During  that  period  it  may  be  properly 
said  that,  while  the  Continental  Congress  advised  and 
the  State  convention  recommended,  the  town  meeting 
was  the  only  body  of  actual  legislative  powers  in  the 
commonwealth.  The  reader  must  excuse  this  brief 
array  of  dry  historical  details,  because  only  by  bearing 
in  mind  that  such  had  been  the  peculiar  political  edu 
cation  of  the  people  of  Berkshire  will  it  appear  fully 
credible  that  revolt  should  so  readily  become  organ 
ized,  and  anarchy  assume  the  forms  of  law  and  order. 

From  the  extent  of  his  property  interests  and  the 
popular  animosity  which  endangered  them,  no  gentle 
man  in  Stockbridge  had  more  necessity  to  keep  on  the 
right  side  of  Perez  Hamlin  than  Squire  Edwards,  and 
it  was  not  the  storekeeper's  fault  if  he  did  not.  Com 
paratively  few  days  passed  in  which  Perez  did  not  find 
himself  invited  to  take  a  glass  of  something,  as  he 
passed  the  store,  and  without  touching  the  point  either 
of  servility  or  hypocrisy,  Edwards  knew  how  to  make 
himself  so  affable  that  Perez  began  actually  to  think  that 
perhaps  he  liked  him  for  his  own  sake,  and  even  cher 
ished  the  wild  idea  of  taking  him  into  his  confidence 
concerning  his  passion  and  hope  as  to  Desire.  Had 
he  done  so  Edwards  would  certainly  have  found  him 
self  in  a  very  awkward  predicament.  Meanwhile,  day 
after  day  and  even  week  after  week  passed,  and  save 
for  an  occasional  glimpse  of  her  passing  a  window,  or 
the  shadow  on  her  bedroom  curtain  with  which  his 
long  night  watches  were  sometimes  rewarded,  he  saw 
nothing  of  Desire.  She  never  went  on  the  street,  and 
for  two  Sundays  had  stayed  at  home  from  meeting. 


258  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

He  could  not  muster  courage  to  ask  Edwards  about 
her,  feeling  that  it  must  be  that  she  kept  within  doors 
merely  to  avoid  him.  One  evening,  however,  late  in 
October,  as  he  was  sitting  over  some  rum  with  the 
storekeeper,  the  latter  remarked,  in  a  casual  way,  that 
the  doctor  had  advised  that  his  daughter  Desire,  who 
had  not  been  well  of  late,  should  take  a  trip  to  Pitts- 
field  for  her  health,  and  as  if  it  were  something  quite 
casual,  asked  Perez  to  have  the  kindness  to  make  out  a 
pass  for  her  to  go  the  next  day.  As  the  Squire  made 
this  request,  speaking  as  if  it  were  a  mere  matter  of 
course,  Perez  was  in  the  act  of  raising  a  glass  of  liquor 
to  his  lips.  He  gave  Edwards  one  glance,  very  slowly 
set  down  the  untasted  beverage,  and  without  a  word  of 
reply  or  of  parting  salutation  got  up  and  went  out. 
The  moment  he  was  gone  the  door  connecting  the  liv 
ing  rooms  with  the  back  of  the  store  softly  opened, 
and  Mrs.  Edwards  and  Desire  entered. 

"  Did  you.  get  it? "  asked  the  latter. 

"Get  it,"  replied  Edwards  in  disgust,  "I  should 
think  not.  He  looked  at  me  like  a  wolf  when  I  spoke 
of  it.  I  had  some  notion  that  he  would  stick  his 
hanger  through  my  stomach,  but  he  thought  better  of 
that  and  got  up  and  stalked  out  without  so  much  as 
winking  at  me.  He's  a  terrible  fellow.  I  doubt  if  he 
does  not  some  outrage  to  us  for  this." 

"Dear!  Dear!  What  shall  I  do?"  cried  Desire, 
wringing  her  hands.  "  I  must  go.  I  can't  stay  here, 
shut  up  like  a  prisoner.  I  shall  fall  ill  and  die." 

"Who  knows,"  said  Mrs.  Edwards,  "what  this  ruffian 
may  do  next?  He  will  stop  at  nothing.  He  will  not 
much  longer  respect  our  house.  He  may  force  him 
self  in  any  day.  She  is  not  safe  here.  I  dare  not  have 
her  stay  another  day." 


Two   Critical  Interviews  259 

"  I  don't  know  what  can  be  done ;  she  can't  get  away 
without  a  pass, "  replied  Edwards.  "  It  would  do  no  good 
for  me  to  ask  him  again.  Perhaps  the  girl  herself  might 
coax  a  pass  out  of  him.  It's  the  only  chance." 

"  I  coax  him!  I  see  him  again!  Oh,  I  can't,  I  can't 
do  that !  "  cried  Desire. 

"  I  could  leave  the  door  ajar,  you  know,  Desire,  and 
be  ready  to  come  into  the  room  if  he  were  unmanner 
ly,"  said  her  mother.  "I  think  he's  rather  afraid  of 
me.  I  fear  it's  the  only  chance,  as  your  father  says, 
if  you  could  but  bring  yourself  to  it." 

"Oh,  it  doesn't  seem  as  if  I  could.  It  doesn't  seem 
as  if  I  could,"  repeated  the  girl. 

Perez  did  not  come  near  the  store  for  several  days, 
and  it  was  on  the  street  that  Edwards  next  met  him. 
The  storekeeper  was  very  cordial  and  made  no  further 
allusion  to  the  pass.  In  the  course  of  conversation  he 
contrived  to  make  some  reference  to  Desire's  piano, 
and  the  curiosity  the  people  seemed  to  feel  about  the 
novel  instrument.  He  asked  Perez  if  he  had  ever  seen 
it,  and  Perez  saying  no,  he  invited  him  to  drop  in  that 
evening  and  hear  Desire  play  a  little.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  the  young  man's  surprise  at  the  invitation  did 
not  prevent  his  accepting  it.  It  would  have  melted 
the  heart  of  his  worst  enemy  to  have  seen  how  long  he 
toiled  that  afternoon  trying  to  refurbish  his  threadbare 
coat,  so  white  in  the  seams,  and  the  rueful  face  with 
which  he  contemplated  the  result.  On  presenting 
himself  at  the  store  soon  after  dusk,  Edwards  at  once 
ushered  him  into  the  parlor,  and  withdrew,  saying  that 
he  must  see  to  his  business. 

Desire  sat  at  the  piano,  no  one  else  being  in  the 
room.  She  looked  rather  pale  and  thinner  than  when 
he  had  seen  her  last,  but  all  the  more  interesting  for 


260  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

this  fragility.  There  was,  however,  a  far  more  strik 
ing  alteration  in  her  manner,  for  to  his  surprise  she 
rose  at  his  entrance,  and  came  forward  with  a  smile  to 
greet  him.  He  was  delightfully  bewildered. 

"  I  scarcely  know  how  to  greet  a  Duke,  for  such  I 
hear  you  are  become,"  said  Desire,  with  a  profound 
courtesy  and  a  bewitching  tone  of  badinage. 

Entirely  taken  aback,  he  murmured  something  inar 
ticulate  about  her  piano. 

"Would  Your  Grace  like  to  have  me  play  a  little?" 
she  asked,  gayly. 

He  intimated  that  he  would,  and  she  at  once  sat  down 
before  the  little  piano.  It  was  scarcely  more  to  be 
compared  with  the  magnificent  instruments  of  our  day 
than  the  flageolets  of  Virgil's  shepherds  with  the  cornet- 
a-piston  of  the  modern  star  performer,  but  Mozart, 
Haydn,  Handel,  or  Beethoven  never  lived  to  hear  a  bet 
ter.  It  was  only  about  two  feet  across  by  four  and  a 
half  in  width,  with  a  small  square  sounding-board  at 
the  end.  The  almost  threadlike  wires,  strung  on  a 
wooden  frame,  gave  forth  a  thin  and  tinny  sound 
which  would  instantaneously  bring  the  hands  of  a 
modern  audience  to  its  ears.  But  to  Perez  it  seemed 
divine,  and  when,  too,  Desire  opened  her  lips  and 
sang,  tears  of  genuine  emotion  filled  his  eyes.  She 
was  more  richly  dressed  than  he  had  ever  seen  her  be 
fore,  wearing  a  cherry-colored  silk  bodice,  low-necked, 
and  with  bell-mouthed  sleeves  reaching  only  to  her 
elbows,  while  the  rounded  white  arms  were  set  off 
with  coral  bracelets,  a  necklace  of  the  same  encircling 
her  throat.  Upon  one  cheek,  a  little  below  the  out 
side  corner  of  the  eye,  she  wore  a  small  black  patch, 
according  to  a  fashion  of  the  time,  by  way  of  heighten 
ing  by  contrast  the  delicacy  of  her  complexion.  The 


Two  Critical  Interviews  261 

faint  perfume  with  which  she  had  completed  her  toilet 
seemed  less  a  perfume  than  the  very  breath  of  her 
beauty,  the  voluptuous  effluence  which  it  exhaled. 
Having  played  and  sung  for  some  time  she  let  her 
hands  drop  by  her  side  and,  raising  her  eyes  to  meet 
Perez's  fascinated  gaze,  said  lightly: 

"  Do  you  like  it? "  The  most  exacting  performer 
would  have  been  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which, 
after  a  husky  attempt  to  say  something  in  reply,  he 
bowed  his  head  in  silence. 

"I'm  glad  you  came  in  to-night,"  she  said,  "for  I 
want  to  ask  something  of  you.  Since  you  are  Duke  of 
Stockbridge  we  all  have  to  ask  favors  of  you,  you  see." 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  dear  me,"  she  said,  laughing.  "That's  not 
the  way  people  ask  favors  of  kings  and  dukes.  They 
make  them  promise  to  grant  the  favor  first,  and  then 
tell  what  it  is.  This  is  the  way,"  and  with  the  words 
she  dropped  lightly  on  one  knee  before  Perez,  and  with 
her  clasped  hands  pressed  against  her  bosom,  raised 
her  face  up  toward  his,  her  eyes  eloquent  of  intoxicat 
ing  submissiveness. 

"  If  thine  handmaiden  has  found  grace  in  the  sight 
of  my  lord,  the  Duke,  let  my  request  be  done  even  ac 
cording  to  the  prayer  of  my  lips." 

Perez  leaned  forward  toward  the  beautiful  upward- 
turning  face. 

"Whatever  you  wish,"  he  murmured. 

"  To  the  half  of  my  dukedom,  you  must  say. " 

"  To  the  half  of  my  dukedom,"  he  repeated,  in  a  me 
chanical  voice,  not  removing  his  eyes  from  hers. 

"  Do  you  pledge  your  honor? "  she  demanded,  still 
retaining  her  position. 

If  he  had  known  that  she  intended  asking  him  to 


262  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

blow  his  own  brains  out  the  next  moment,  and  had  ex 
pected  to  keep  his  promise,  he  must  needs,  with  her 
kneeling  so  before  him,  have  answered  "Yes,"  and  so 
he  did  in  fact  reply. 

"  Thank  you, "  she  said,  rising  lightly  to  her  feet ;  "  you 
make  a  very  good  duke  indeed,  and  to  reward  you  I 
shall  not  ask  for  anything  like  half  your  dukedom,  but 
only  for  a  scrap  of  paper.  Here  is  ink  and  paper  and 
a  pen.  Please  write  me  a  pass  to  go  to  Pittsfield. 
Doctor  Partridge  says  I  must  have  change  of  air,  and 
I  don't  want  to  be  stopped  by  your  soldiers." 

A  ghastly  pallor  overspread  his  face.  "  You're  not 
going  away?  "  he  stammered,  rising  slowly  up. 

"  To  be  sure  I  am.  What  else  should  I  want  of  the 
pass?  Come,  you're  not  going  to  make  me  do  all  that 
asking  over  again.  Please  sit  right  down  and  write  it. 
You  know  you  promised  on  your  word  of  honor." 

She  even  put  her  hand  smilingly  on  his  shoulder,  as 
if  to  push  him  down,  and  as  he  yielded  to  the  light  but 
irresistible  pressure,  she  put  a  pen  in  his  nerveless  rin 
gers,  saying  gayly: 

"Just  your  name  at  the  bottom,  that's  all.  Father 
wrote  the  rest  to  save  you  the  trouble.  Now,  please." 
Powerless  against  an  imperious  magnetism  which 
would  have  compelled  him  to  sign  his  own  death-war 
rant,  he  scrawled  the  words.  As  she  took  up  the  pre 
cious  scrap  of  paper,  and  hid  it  in  her  bosom,  the  door 
opened,  and  Mrs.  Edwards  entered  with  stately  formal 
ity,  and  the  next  moment  Perez  found  himself  blunder 
ingly  answering  questions  about  his  mother's  state  of 
health,  not  having  the  faintest  idea  what  he  was  say 
ing.  The  next  thing  he  was  conscious  of  was  the  cold 
frosty  air  on  his  face  as  he  walked  across  the  green 
from  the  store  to  the  guardhouse. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 
The  Husking 

SCARCELY  had  Perez  left,  when  Edwards  entered  the 
parlor, 

"  Did  you  get  it?  "  he  asked  of  Desire. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  the  girl.  "Oh,  that  horrible,  hor 
rible  fellow !  I  am  sick  with  shame  all  through — sick ! 
sick !  But  if  I  can  only  get  away  out  of  his  reach,  I 
shall  not  mind.  Do  let  Cephas  harness  the  horse  into 
the  chaise  at  once.  He  may  change  his  mind.  Oh, 
hurry,  father,  do!  don't,  oh,  don't  lose  a  minute!  " 

Half  an  hour  later,  Cephas,  an  old  freedman  of  Ed 
wards',  drove  the  chaise  up  to  the  side  door,  and  a  few 
bundles  having  been  put  into  the  vehicle,  Desire  her 
self  entered,  and  was  driven  hastily  away  toward  Pitts- 
field. 

When  Perez  reached  the  guardhouse,  coming  from 
the  store,  he  went  in  and  sat  down  in  the  headquarters 
room.  Presently  Abe  Konkapot,  who  was  officer  of 
the  day,  entered  and  spoke  to  him.  Perez  making  no 
reply,  the  Indian  spoke  again,  and  then  went  up  to  him 
and  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  What  is  it?  "  said  Perez,  in  a  dull  voice. 

"  What  matter  with  you,  cap'n?  Me  speak  tree  time. 
You  no  say  nothin'.  You  seek?  "  Perez  looked  up  at 
him  vacantly. 

"He  no  drunk!"  pursued  Abe,  changing  from  the 
second  to  the  third  person  in  his  mode  of  speech,  as  he 


264  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

saw  the  other  paid  no  attention.  "  Seem  like  was  heap 
drunk,  but  no  smell  rum,"  and  he  scratched  his  head 
in  perplexity.  Then  he  shook  Perez's  shoulder  again. 
"  Say,  cap'n,  what  ails  yer? " 

"  She's  going  away,  Abe.  Desire  Edwards  is  going 
away,"  replied  Perez,  looking  up  at  the  Indian  in  a 
helpless,  appealing  way. 

"You  no  like  have  her  go,  cap'n?  You  like  better 
she  stay?  What  for  let  her  go,  then?  " 

"I  gave  her  a  pass,  Abe.  She  was  so  beautiful  I 
couldn't  help  it." 

Abe  scratched  his  head. 

"  If  she  so  pretty,  me  s'pose  you  keep  her  all  more 
for  that.  No  let  her  go." 

Perez  did  not  explain  this  point,  but  presently  said : 

"  Abe,  you  may  let  the  men  go  home,  if  you  want. 
It's  nothing  to  me  any  more  what  happens  here  in 
Stockbridge.  The  silk-stockings  are  welcome  to  come 
and  hang  me  as  soon  as  they  please,"  and  his  head 
dropped  on  his  breast  like  one  whose  life  has  suddenly 
lost  its  spring  and  motive. 

"Look  a'  here,  cap'n,"  said  Abe,  "you  say  to  me, 
Abe,  stop  that  air  gal,  fetch  her  back.  Good.  Me  do 
it  quick.  Cap'n  feel  all  right  ag'in." 

"  I  can't,  Abe,  I  can't.  I  promised.  I  gave  her  my 
word.  I  can't.  I  wish  she  had  asked  me  to  cut  my 
throat  instead,"  and  he  despairingly  shook  his  head. 

Abe  regarded  him  with  evident  perplexity  for  some 
moments,  and  then  with  an  abrupt  nod  of  the  head 
turned  and  glided  out  of  the  room.  Perez,  in  his 
gloomy  preoccupation,  did  not  even  note  his  going. 
His  head  sank  lower  on  his  breast,  and  he  murmured 
to  himself  wild  words  of  passion  and  despair. 

"  If  she  only  knew !     If  she  knew  how  I  love  her. 


The  Husking  265 

But  she  would  not  care.  She  hates  me.  She  will 
never  come  back.  Oh,  no,  never.  I  shall  never  see 
her  again.  This  is  the  end.  It  is  the  end.  How 
beautiful  she  was !  "  and  he  buried  his  face  in  his  arms 
on  the  table  and  wept  miserable  tears. 

There  were  voices  and  noises  about  and  within  the 
guardhouse,  but  he  took  no  note  of  them.  Some  one 
came  into  the  room,  but  he  did  not  look  up,  and  for  a 
moment  Desire  Edwards,  for  she  it  was,  in  hat  and 
cloak,  stood  looking  down  on  him.  Then  she  said,  in 
a  voice  whose  first  accent  brought  him  to  his  feet  as 
if  electrified : 

"  No  wonder  you  hide  your  head. " 

There  was  a  red  spot  as  big  as  a  cherry  in  either 
cheek,  and  her  eyes  scintillated  with  concentrated 
scorn  and  anger.  Over  her  shoulder  was  visible  Abe 
Konkapot's  swarthy  face,  wearing  a  smile  of  great  self- 
satisfaction. 

"  I  was  foolish  enough  to  think  that  even  a  rebel  might 
keep  his  word,"  Desire  went  on,  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  indignation.  "  I  did  not  suppose  even  you  would 
give  me  a  pass  and  then  send  your  footpads  to  stop 
me." 

It  was  evident  from  his  dazed  look  that  he  did  not 
follow  her  words.  He  glanced  inquiringly  at  Abe, 
who  responded  with  lucid  brevity : 

"  Look  a'  here,  cap'n,  me  see  you  feel  heap  bad 
'cause  gal  go  way.  You  make  fool  promise ;  no  can 
stop  her.  Me  no  make  promise.,  Gal  come  'long  in 
cart.  Show  pass.  Pass  good,  but  no  good  for  gal  to 
go.  Tear  up  pass;  fetch  gal  back.  Cap'n  no  break 
no  promise,  'cause  no  stop  gal.  Abe  no  break  promise 
'cause  no  make  none.  Cap'n  be  leetle  mad  with  Abe 
for  tear  up  pass,  but  heap  more  glad  for  git  gal  back," 


266  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

and  having  thus  succinctly  stated  the  matter  the  In 
dian  retired. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain  Hamlin,"  said  Desire, 
with  an  engaging  smile.  "  I  was  too  hasty.  I  suppose 
I  was  angry.  I  see  you  were  not  to  blame.  If  you 
will  now  please  tell  your  men  that  I  am  not  to  be  inter 
fered  with  again,  I  will  make  another  start  for  Pitts- 
field." 

"  No,  not  again,"  he  replied  slowly. 

"  But  you  promised  me,"  she  said,  with  rising  appre 
hension,  nervously  clasping  the  edge  of  her  cloak  with 
her  fingers  as  she  spoke.  "  You  promised  me  on  the 
word  of  a  duke,  you  know,"  and  she  made  another 
feeble  attempt  at  a  smile. 

"I  promised  you,"  replied  he.  "I  don't  know  why 
I  was  so  mad.  I  was  bewitched.  I  did  not  break  the 
promise,  but  I  will  not  make  it  again.  God  had  pity 
on  me,  and  brought  you  back.  What  have  I  suffered 
the  last  hour, — and  shall  I  let  you  go  again?  Never! 
never!  None  shall  pluck  you  out  of  my  hand. 

"  Don't  let  me  terrify  you,  my  darling,"  he  went  on 
passionately,  in  a  softened  voice,  as  she  changed  coun 
tenance  and  recoiled  before  him  in  evident  fright.  "  I 
will  not  hurt  you.  I  would  die  sooner  than  hurt  a  hair 
of  your  head. "  He  tried  to  take  her  hand,  and  then  as 
she  snatched  it  away,  he  caught  the  hem  of  her  cloak, 
and  kneeling  quickly,  raised  it  with  a  gesture  of 
boundless  tenderness  and  reverence  to  his  lips.  She 
had  shrunk  back  to  the  wall,  and  looked  down  on  him 
in  wide-eyed,  speechless  terror,  evidently  no  longer 
thinking  of  anything  but  escape. 

"  Oh,  let  me  go  home !  Let  me  go  home.  I  shall 
scream  out  if  you  don't  let  me  go!  "  she  cried. 

He  rose  to  his  feet,  walked  quickly  across  the  room 


The  Husking  267 

and  back,  and  then  having  in  some  measure  subdued 
his  agitation,  replied: 

"  Certainly,  you  shall  go  home.  It  is  dark ;  I  will  go 
with  you  " ;  and  they  walked  together  across  to  the  store 
without  speaking.  Returning,  Perez  met  Abe,  and  tak 
ing  him  by  the  hand,  gave  it  a  tremendous  grip,  but  said 
nothing. 

Whatever  resentment  Squire  Edwards  cherished 
against  Perez  on  account  of  Desire's  recapture  and  re 
turn,  he  was  far  too  shrewd  to  allow  it  to  appear.  He 
simply  ignored  the  whole  episode  and  was  more  affable 
than  ever.  Whenever  he  met  the  young  man,  he  had 
something  pleasant  to  say,  and  was  always  inviting 
him  into  the  store  to  take  a  drop  when  he  passed. 
Meanwhile,  however,  so  far  as  the  latter 's  opportuni 
ties  of  seeing  or  talking  with  Desire  were  concerned, 
she  might  just  as  well  have  been  in  Pittsfield,  so 
strictly  did  she  keep  the  house.  A  week  or  ten  days 
passed  thus,  every  day  adding  fuel  to  his  impatience, 
and  he  had  already  begun  to  entertain  plans  worthy  of 
a  brigand  or  a  kidnapper,  when  circumstances  pre 
sented  an  opportunity  of  which  he  made  shrewd  profit. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  it  had  been  a  frequent 
policy  with  the  town  authorities  to  attempt  to  correct 
the  high  and  capricious  prices  of  goods,  always  inci 
dent  to  war  times,  by  establishing  fixed  rates  per 
pound,  bushel,  yard  or  quart,  by  which  all  persons 
should  be  compelled  to  sell  or  barter  their  merchan 
dise  and  produce.  It  had  been  suggested  in  the  Stock- 
bridge  Committee  of  Correspondence,  Inspection  and 
Safety  that  the  adoption  of  such  a  tariff  would  tend  to 
relieve  the  present  distress  and  promote  trade.  Ezra 
Phelps  proposed  the  plan,  Israel  Goodrich  was  inclined 
to  favor  it,  and  Perez's  assent  would  have  settled  the 


268  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

matter.  He  it  was  whom  Squire  Edwards  approached 
with  vehement  protestations.  He  might  well  be  some 
what  agitated,  for  being  the  only  merchant  in  town,  the 
proposed  measure  was  little  more  than  a  personal  dis 
crimination  against  his  profits,  which,  it  must  be  ad 
mitted,  had  been  of  late  years  pretty  liberal,  thanks  to 
a  dearth  of  money  that  had  made  it  necessary  for  farm 
ers  to  barter  produce  for  tools  and  supplies,  at  rates  vir 
tually  at  the  merchant's  discretion.  If  the  storekeeper 
had  been  compelled  to  trade  at  the  committee's  prices 
for  a  while,  it  would  perhaps  have  been  little  more  than 
a  rough  sort  of  justice ;  but  he  did  not  take  that  view. 
It  is  said  that  all  is  fair  in  love  and  war,  and  this  was 
the  manner  in  which  Perez  proceeded  selfishly  to  avail 
himself  of  the  Squire's  emergency.  He  listened  to  his 
protestations  with  a  sympathetic  rather  than  a  hopeful 
air,  admitting  that  he  himself  would  be  inclined  to  op 
pose  the  new  policy,  but  remarking  that  the  farmers 
and  some  of  the  committee  were  so  set  on  it  that  he 
doubted  his  ability  to  balk  them.  He  finally  re 
marked,  however,  that  he  might  possibly  do  some 
thing,  if  Edwards  himself  would  meantime  take  a 
course  calculated  to  placate  the  insurgents  and  disarm 
their  resentment.  Being  rather  anxiously  asked  by 
the  storekeeper  as  to  what  he  could  consistently  do, 
Perez  finally  suggested  that  Israel  Goodrich  was  going 
to  have  a  husking  in  his  barn  the  following  night,  if 
the  warm  weather  held ;  and  if  Miss  Edwards  should 
attend,  it  would  not  only  please  the  people  generally, 
but  possibly  gain  over  Israel,  a  member  of  the  commit 
tee.  Edwards  made  no  reply,  and  Perez  left  him  to 
think  the  matter  over,  pretty  confident  of  the  result. 

That  evening  in  the  family  circle,  after  a  gloomy 
account  of  the  disaster  threatening  to  engulf  the  family 


The  Husking  269 

fortunes  if  the  proposed  policy  of  fixing  prices  were  car 
ried  out,  Edwards  spoke  of  Hamlin's  disposition  to  come 
to  his  aid,  and  his  suggestion  concerning  Desire's  pres 
ence  at  the  husking. 

"These  huskings  are  but  low  bussing-matches, "  said 
Mrs.  Edwards  with  much  disgust.  "  Desire  has  never 
set  a  foot  in  such  a  place.  I  suspect  it  is  a  trick  of  this 
fellow  to  get  her  in  his  reach. " 

"It  may  be  so,"  said  her  husband,  gloomily.  "I 
thought  of  that  myself,  but  what  shall  we  do?  Shall 
we  submit  to  the  spoiling  of  our  goods?  We  are  fallen 
upon  evil  times,  and  the  most  we  can  do  is  to  choose 
between  evils." 

Desire,  who  had  sat  in  stolid  silence,  now  said  in 
much  agitation: 

"I  don't  want  to  go.  Please  don't  make  me  go, 
father.  I'd  rather  not.  I'm  afraid  of  him.  Since 
that  last  time,  I'm  afraid.  I'd  rather  not." 

"The  child  is  well  nigh  sick  with  it  all,"  said  Mrs. 
Edwards,  sitting  down  by  her  and  soothingly  draw 
ing  the  head  of  the  agitated  girl  to  her  shoulder, 
which  set  her  to  sobbing.  It  was  evident  that  the 
constant  apprehensions  of  the  past  several  weeks, 
as  well  as  her  virtual  imprisonment  within  doors, 
had  not  only  whitened  her  cheek  but  affected  her 
nervous  tone. 

Edwards  paced  to  and  fro  with  knitted  brow.  Finally 
he  said: 

"  I  will  by  no  means  constrain  your  will  in  this  mat 
ter,  Desire.  I  do  not  understand  all  your  woman's 
megrims,  but  your  mother  shall  not  again  reproach  me 
with  willingness  to  secure  protection  to  my  temporal 
interests  at  the  cost  of  your  peace  and  quiet.  You 
need  not  go  to  this  husking.  No  doubt  I  shall  be 


270  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

able  to  bear  whatever  the  Lord  sends  " — and  he  went 
out. 

Soon  after,  Desire  ceased  sobbing  and  raised  her 
head  from  her  mother's  shoulder.  "Mother,"  she 
said,  "  did  you  ever  hear  of  a  maiden  placed  in  such  a 
case  as  mine?" 

"  No,  my  child.  It  is  a  new  sort  of  affliction,  and  of 
a  strange  nature.  I  scarcely  have  confidence  to  advise 
you  as  to  your  duty.  You  had  best  seek  the  counsel  of 
the  Lord  in  prayer." 

"  Methinks  in  such  matters  a  woman  is  the  best 
judge,"  said  the  girl  naively. 

"  Tut,  tut,  Desire !  " 

"  Nay,  I  meant  no  harm,  mother  " ;  and  then  with  a 
great  sigh,  she  said :  "  I  will  go.  Poor  father  feels  so 
bad." 

The  next  evening  when,  dressed  for  the  husking, 
she  took  a  last  look  in  her  mirror  she  was  fairly  startled 
to  see  how  beautiful  she  was.  And  yet  despite  the  dis 
may  and  sinking  of  heart  with  which  she  apprehended 
Perez's  unwelcome  attentions,  she  did  not  brush  down 
the  dark  ringlets  that  shadowed  her  temples  so  bewitch- 
ingly,  or  choose  a  less  becoming  ribbon  for  her  neck. 
That  is  not  a  woman's  way.  It  was  about  seven  o'clock 
when  she  and  Jonathan,  who  went  as  her  escort,  reached 
Israel  Goodrich 's  great  barn,  guided  thither  by  the  light 
which  streamed  from  the  open  door. 

The  husking  was  already  in  full  blast.  A  dozen  tal 
low  dips  and  half  as  many  lanterns,  consisting  of  peaked 
cylinders  of  tin,  with  holes  plentifully  punched  in  their 
sides  for  the  light  of  the  candle  to  shine  through,  illu 
mined  the  scene.  In  the  middle  of  the  floor  was  a  pile 
of  fully  a  hundred  bushels  of  ears  of  corn  in  the  husk, 
and  close  around  this,  their  knees  well  thrust  into  the 


The  Husking  271 

mass,  sat  about  two-score  young  men  and  maidens,  for 
the  most  part  duly  paired  off,  save  where  here  and 
there  two  or  three  bashful  youths  sat  together.  The 
young  men  had  their  coats  off,  and  the  round  white 
arms  of  the  girls  twinkled  distractingly,  as  with  swift 
deft  motions  they  freed  the  shining  yellow  ears  from 
their  incasements  and  tossed  them  into  the  baskets. 
The  noisy  rustling  of  the  dry  husks,  the  chatter  and 
laughter  of  the  merry  workers,  ever  and  anon  swelling 
into  uproarious  mirth  as  some  protesting  maiden  re 
deemed  a  red  ear  with  a  pair  of  red  lips,  made  alto 
gether  a  merry  medley  that  caused  the  cows  and 
horses,  munching  their  suppers  in  the  neighboring 
stalls,  to  turn  and  stare  in  wonder. 

Some  of  the  huskers,  looking  up,  caught  sight  of 
Desire  and  Jonathan  at  the  door,  and  by  a  telegraphic 
system  of  whispers  and  nudges,  the  information  was 
presently  carried  to  Israel  Goodrich. 

"Glad  to  see  ye.  Come  right  in,"  he  shouted  in  a 
broad,  cheery  voice.  "  More  the  merrier,  the  sayin*  is. 
Glad  to  see  ye.  Glad  to  see  ye.  Looks  kind  o'  neigh 
borly." 

As  Desire  entered  the  barn,  some  of  the  girls  rose 
and  curtsied,  the  most  merely  looking  bashful  and 
avoiding  her  eye,  as  the  rural  mode  of  greeting  con 
tinues  to  be  to  this  day.  Perez  was  the  first  person 
whom  Desire  had  seen  on  entering  the  barn.  Her 
eyes  had  been  drawn  to  him  by  a  sort  of  fascina 
tion,  certainly  not  of  a  pleasant  sort,  the  result  of  her 
having  thought  so  much  about  him.  Nor  was  this 
fascination  without  another  evidence.  There  was  a 
vacant  stool  by  Perez,  and  as  she  passed  it,  and  he 
rose  and  bowed,  she  made  as  if  she  would  seat  herself 
there. 


272  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"Don't  ye  sit  there,"  said  Israel;  "that  ain't  nothin' 
but  a  stool.  There's  a  chair  furder  along." 

The  offer  to  sit  by  Perez  was  almost  involuntary  on 
her  part,  merely  a  sign  of  her  sense  of  powerlessness 
against  him.  She  had  had  the  thought  that  he  meant 
to  have  her  sit  there,  and  in  her  nervously  abject  mood 
she  had  not  thought  of  resisting.  Her  coming  to  the 
husking  at  all  had  been  a  surrender  to  his  will,  and 
this  seemed  but  an  incident  and  consequence  of  that. 
At  Israel's  words  she  blushed  faintly,  but  not  in  a  way 
to  be  compared  with  the  red  flush  that  swept  over 
Perez's  face. 

"There,"  said  Israel,  good-humoredly,  as  she  seated 
herself  in  the  promised  chair,  "  naow  I  guess  we'll  see 
the  shucks  begin  to  fly. " 

"For  the  land  sakes,  Miss  Edwards,  you  ain't 
a-goin*  ter  go  ter  shuckin'  with  them  'ere  white 
hands  o'  yourn,"  exclaimed  Submit  Goodrich.  "  Lem- 
me  git  yer  some  mittins,  an'  an  apron,  tew.  Deary 
me,  ye  mustn't  dew  the  fust  thing  till  yew've  got  an 
apron." 

"Guess  ye  ain't  used  ter  huskin',  or  ye  wouldn't 
come  in  yer  best  gaown,"  said  Israel  cheerfully. 

"Come  naow,  father,"  Submit  expostulated,  "  't  ain't 
likely  she's  got  nothin'  poor  'nough  fer  sech  doin's. 
Ez  if  this  'ere  wuz  Miss  Edwards'  best  gaown !  Yew've 
got  a  sight  better  'n  this,  hain't  ye? " 

Desire  smiled  vaguely.  Meanwhile  the  husking  had 
been  pretty  nearly  suspended,  the  huskers  either  star 
ing  in  vacant,  open-mouthed  wonder  at  Desire,  or 
communicating  whispered  comments  to  each  other. 
And  even  after  she  had  been  duly  provided  with  mit 
tens  and  apron,  and  had  begun  husking  the  corn,  the 
chatter  and  boisterous  merriment  which  her  arrival  had 


The  Husking  273 

interrupted  did  not  at  once  resume  its  course.  Perhaps 
in  a  more  modern  assembly  the  constraint  might  have 
been  lasting,  but  our  forefathers  did  not  depend  so  ex 
clusively  as  we  upon  capricious  and  uncompellable 
moods,  which,  like  the  winds,  blow  whence  and  when 
they  list,  for  the  generation  of  vivacity  in  social  gath 
erings.  For  that  same  end  they  used  most  commonly 
a  force  as  certain  as  steam  in  its  action — an  influence 
kept  in  a  jug. 

Submit  whispered  to  her  father,  and  the  old  man 
merely  poured  a  double  portion  of  rum  into  the  cider 
flip,  with  which  the  huskers  were  being  regaled,  and 
soon  all  went  merrily  again.  For  rum  in  those  good 
old  days  was  recognized  as  equally  the  accompani 
ment  of  toil  and  recreation,  and  therefore  had  a  double 
claim  to  the  attention  of  huskers.  From  a  sale  of  meet 
ing-house  pews  or  an  ordination,  to  a  ball  or  a  gen 
eral  training,  rum  was  the  touch  of  nature  that  made 
the  whole  world  of  our  forefathers  kin.  And  if  Desire 
did  but  wet  her  lips  with  the  flip  to-night,  it  was  be 
cause  the  company  rather  than  the  beverage  offended 
her  taste.  For  even  at  risk  of  alienating  the  sympathies 
of  my  total-abstinence  readers,  I  must  refrain  from 
claiming  for  the  maiden  a  virtue  which  had  not  then 
been  invented. 

The  appearance  of  Uncle  Sim's  black  and  smiling 
countenance,  as  he  entered,  bowing  and  grinning,  his 
fiddle  under  his  arm,  was  hailed  with  uproar  and 
caused  a  great  accession  of  activity  among  the  husk 
ers,  the  completion  of  whose  task  would  be  the  signal 
for  the  dancing  to"  begin.  The  red  ears  turned  up 
so  rapidly  as  to  suggest  the  theory  that  some  of  the 
youths  had  stuffed  their  pockets  with  a  selected  lot 
from  the  domestic  corn  bin  before  coming.  But 
18 


274  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

though  this  opinion  was  loudly  expressed  by  the  girls, 
it  did  not  seem  to  excite  that  indignation  in  their 
bosoms  which  such  unblushing  duplicity  should  have 
aroused.  Half  a  dozen  lively  tussles  for  kisses  were 
constantly  going  on  in  various  parts  of  the  floor  and 
the  uproar  was  prodigious. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hurly-burly,  Desire  sat  bending 
over  the  task  of  which  her  unused  fingers  made  slow 
work,  replying  now  and  then  with  little  forced- smiles 
to  Submit 's  good-natured  efforts  to  entertain  her,  and 
paying  no  attention  to  the  hilarious  confusion  around. 
She  looked  for  all  the  world  to  Perez  like  a  captive 
queen  among  rude  barbarian  conquerors,  owing  to  her 
very  humiliation  a  certain  touching  dignity.  It  re 
pented  him  that  he  had  been  the  means  of  bringing 
her  to  the  place.  He  could  not  even  take  any  pleasure 
in  looking  at  her,  because  he  was  so  angry  to  see  the 
coarse  stares  of  admiration  which  the  bumpkins  around 
fixed  on  her.  Paul  Hubbard,  who  sat  opposite  him,  had 
been  particularly  free  with  his  eyes  in  that  direction, 
and  all  the  more  so  after  he  perceived  the  discomfort 
it  occasioned  Perez,  toward  whom,  since  their  collision 
concerning  the  disposition  to  be  made  of  the  prisoners, 
he  had  cherished  a  bitter  animosity.  The  last  husks 
were  being  stripped  off,  and  Sim  was  already  tuning  his 
fiddle,  when  Hubbard  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  red  ear 
in  his  hand.  He  threw  a  mocking  glance  toward 
Perez,  and  advanced  behind  the  row  of  huskers  toward 
Desire.  Bending  over  her  lap  with  downcast  face,  she 
did  not  observe  him  till  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  rich 
kerchief  of  Indian  silk  that  covered  her  shoulders. 
Looking  up  and  catching  sight  of  the  dark,  malicious 
face  above  her,  its  sensual  leer  interpreted  by  the  red 
ear  brandished  before  her  eyes,  she  sprang  away  with 


The  Husking  275 

a  gasp.  There  was  not  one  of  the  girls  in  the  room 
who  would  have  thought  twice  about  a  kiss,  or  a  dozen 
of  them.  One  of  their  own  number  who  had  made  a 
fuss  about  such  a  trifle  would  have  been  laughed  at. 
But  somehow  they  did  not  feel  inclined  to  laugh  at 
Desire's  terror  and  repugnance.  They  felt  that  she 
was  different  from  them,  and  the  least  squeamish  hoy 
den  of  the  lot  experienced  a  thrill  of  sympathy,  and 
had  a  sense  of  something  tragic  impending.  And  yet  no 
one  interfered.  Hubbard  was  but  using  his  rights  ac 
cording  to  the  ancient  rules  of  the  game.  A  girl  might 
defend  herself  with  fists  and  nails  from  an  unwelcome 
suitor,  but  no  third  party  could  interfere.  As  Jonathan, 
who  sat  at  some  distance  from  his  sister,  was  about  to 
run  to  her  aid,  a  stout  farmer  caught  him  around  the 
waist,  crying  good-naturedly : 

"Fair  play,  youngster!  fair  play!     No  interferin' !  " 

Perez  had  sprung  up,  looking  very  white,  his  eyes 
flaming,  his  fists  clenched.  As  Desire  threw  an  agon 
ized  look  of  appeal  around  the  circle,  she  caught  sight 
of  him.  With  a  sudden  impulse  she  darted  to  him,  cry 
ing: 

"  Oh,  save  me  from  that  man !  " 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  Hamlin,"  said  Hubbard,  rush 
ing  after  his  prey.  "  God  damn  you !  get  out  of  my 
way.  What  do  you  mean  by  interfering?  " 

Perez  scarcely  looked  at  him,  but  he  threw  a  glance 
around  upon  the  others — a  glance  of  appeal — and  said 
in  a  peculiar  voice  of  suppressed  emotion : 

"  For  God's  sake,  some  of  you  take  the  fellow  away, 
or  I  shall  kill  him!" 

Instantly  Israel  Goodrich  and  half  a  dozen  more  had 
rushed  between  the  two.  The  twitching  muscles  of 
Perez's  face  and  that  strange  tone,  as  of  a  man  appeal- 


276  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

ing  to  be  saved  from  himself,  had  suddenly  roused  all 
around  from  mirthful  or  curious  contemplation  of  the 
scene  to  a  perception  that  a  terrible  tragedy  had  barely 
been  averted. 

Meanwhile  the  floor  was  being  cleared  of  the  husks, 
and  soon  the  merry  notes  of  the  riddle  speedily  dissi 
pated  the  sobering  influence  of  the  'recent  fracas. 
Desire  danced  once  with  her  brother  and  once  with  old 
Israel,  who  positively  beamed  with  pleasure.  But 
Hubbard,  who  was  now  pretty  drunk,  followed  her 
about,  every  now  and  then  taking  the  red  ear  out  of 
his  pocket  and  shaking  it  at  her,  so  that  between  the 
dances  and  after  them,  she  took  care  not  to  be  far  from 
Perez,  though  she  appeared  not  to  notice  her  pursuer. 
As  for  Perez,  he  was  far  enough  from  taking  advantage 
of  the  situation.  Though  his  eyes  followed  her  every 
where,  he  did  not  approach  her,  and  he  seemed  very  ill 
at  ease  and  dissatisfied.  Finally  he  called  Jonathan 
aside  and  told  him  that  the  end  of  a  husking  was  often 
rather  uproarious,  and  Desire  perhaps  would  prefer  to 
go  home  early.  He  would  himself  see  that  they 
reached  home  without  molestation.  Desire  was  glad 
enough  to  take  the  hint,  and  glad  enough,  too,  in  view 
of  Hubbard 's  demonstration,  to  accept  the  offered  es 
cort.  As  the  three  were  on  the  way  home,  Perez 
finally  broke  the  rather  stiff  silence  by  expressing  with 
evident  distress  his  chagrin  at  the  unpleasant  events  of 
the  evening;  and  Desire  found  herself  replying  quite 
as  if  she  felt  for,  and  wished  to  lessen,  his  self-re 
proach.  Then  they  kept  silent  again  until  just  before 
the  store  was  reached,  when  he  said, 

"  I  see  that  you  do  not  go  out  of  doors  at  all.  I  sup 
pose  you  are  afraid  of  me.  If  that  is  the  reason,  I 
hope  you  will  not  stay  in  after  this.  I  give  you  my 


The  Husking  277 

word  you  shall  not  be  annoyed,  and  I  hope  you'll  be 
lieve  me.  Good  night." 

"Goodnight." 

Was  it  Desire  Edwards's  voice  which  so  kindly,  al 
most  softly,  responded  to  his  salutations?  It  was  she 
who,  in  astonishment,  asked  herself  the  question. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
A  Brace  of  Proclamations 

PEREZ  profited  by  the  fact  that,  however  a  man  may 
have  abused  a  woman,  that  is  all  forgotten  the  moment 
he  protects  her  against  another  man,  perhaps  no  worse 
than  himself.  Ever  so  little  gratitude  is  fatal  to  re 
sentment,  and  the  instinct  of  her  sex  to  repay  protec 
tion  with  esteem  is  so  deep,  that  it  is  no  wonder  Desire 
found  her  feelings  toward  Perez  oddly  revolutionized 
by  that  scene  at  the  husking.  Try  as  she  might  to  re 
sume  her  former  resentment,  terror,  and  disgust  tow 
ard  the  young  man,  the  effort  always  ended  in  recall 
ing  with  emotions  of  the  liveliest  thankfulness  how  he 
had  stood  between  her  and  that  hateful  fellow,  whom 
otherwise  she  could  not  have  escaped.  All  that  night 
she  was  constantly  dreaming  of  being  pursued  by  ruf 
fians  and  rescued  by  him.  And  the  grateful  sense  of 
safety  and  protection  which,  in  her  dreams,  she  asso 
ciated  with  him,  lingered  in  her  mind  after  she  awoke 
in  the  morning,  and  refused  to  be  banished.  She  was 
half  ashamed,  she  would  not  have  had  anybody  know 
it,  and  yet  she  had  to  own  that  after  these  weeks  of 
constant  depression  and  apprehension,  the  change  of 
mood  was  not  wholly  disagreeable. 

She  had  quite  a  debate  with  herself  as  to  whether  it 
would  be  consistent  with  her  dignity  to  accept  Perez's 
assurance  that  she  would  not  be  annoyed,  and  go  out 
to  walk.  Without  fully  determining  the  question,  she 


A  Brace  of  Proclamations  279 

concluded  to  go,  and  a  beginning  having  been  thus 
made,  she  thereafter  resumed  her  old  habit  of  long 
daily  walks,  to  the  rapid  improvement  of  her  health 
and  spirits.  For  some  days  she  did  not  chance  to  meet 
Perez  at  all,  and  it  annoyed  the  high-spirited  girl  to 
find  that  she  kept  thinking  of  him,  and  wondering 
where  she  would  meet  him,  and  what  he  would  say  or 
do,  and  how  she  ought  to  appear.  And  yet  it  was  per 
fectly  natural  that  such  should  be  the  case.  Thanks 
to  his  persecution,  he  had  preoccupied  her  mind  with 
his  personality  for  so  long  a  time,  it  was  impossible 
that  the  new  phase  of  her  relations  toward  him  should 
not  strongly  affect  her  fancy.  The  first  time  they  act 
ually  did  meet,  she  found  herself  quite  agitated.  Her 
heart  beat  strangely  when  she  saw  him  coming,  and  if 
possible  she  would  have  turned  aside  to  avoid  him.  But 
he  merely  bowed  and  passed  on  with  a  word  of  greet 
ing.  After  that  he  met  her  oftener,  but  never  pre 
sumed  to  stop,  or  say  more  than  "Good  morning,"  or 
"Good  afternoon,"  the  result  of  which  was  that,  after 
having  at  first  welcomed  this  formality  as  a  relief,  after 
a  while  she  came  to  think  it  a  little  overstrained.  It 
looked  as  if  he  thought  that  she  was  childishly  afraid 
of  him.  That  seemed  absurd.  One  day,  as  they  met, 
and  with  his  usual  courteously  curt  salutation  he  was 
passing  by,  she  observed  that  it  was  delightful  weather. 
As  her  eye  caught  his  start  of  surprise,  and  the  expres 
sion  of  almost  overpowering  pleasure  that  passed  over 
his  face  at  her  words,  she  blushed.  She  unquestion 
ably  blushed  and  hurried  on,  scarcely  waiting  for  his 
reply.  Some  days  later,  as  she  was  taking  a  favorite 
walk  over  a  path  among  the  thickets  on  the  slope  of 
Laurel  Hill,  whence  the  hazy  Indian  summer  land 
scape  could  be  seen  in  perfection  beneath  the  thin  but 


280  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

wonderfully  bland  sunshine  of  November,  she  again 
met  him  face  to  face.  Perhaps  it  was  the  color  in  her 
cheeks  which  reminded  him  to  say, 

"You  don't  look  as  if  you  needed  to  go  to  Pittsfield 
for  your  health  now. " 

"No,"  she  said,  smiling.  "When  I  found  I  could 
not  go,  I  concluded  I  would  get  well  here. " 

"  I  suppose  you  are  very  angry  with  me  for  stopping 
you  that  night,  though  it  was  not  I  who  did  it. " 

"  If  I  were  angry,  I  should  not  dare  to  tell  you,  for 
fear  of  bringing  down  your  vengeance  on  me." 

"  But  are  you  angry? "  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  I  told  you  I  did  not  dare  to  say,"  she  replied,  smil 
ing  at  him  with  an  indomitable  air. 

"  Please  forgive  me  for  it,"  he  said,  not  jestingly  or 
lightly,  but  in  deepest  earnest,  with  a  look  almost  of 
tears  in  his  eyes.  She  wondered  she  had  never  before 
noticed  what  beautiful  blue  eyes  they  were.  She 
rather  liked  the  sensation  of  having  him  look  at  her  so. 

"Won't  you  stop  me  if  I  try  to  go  again?"  she  de 
manded,  with  an  audacious  impulse.  But  she  repented 
her  boldness  as  the  passion  leaped  back  into  his  eyes, 
and  her  own  fell  before  it. 

"I  can't  promise  that,"  he  answered.  "God  knows 
I  will  stop  you  so  long  as  I  have  power,  and  when  I  can 
no  longer  stop  you,  the  wheels  of  your  carriage  shall 
pass  over  my  body.  I  will  not  let  you  go. " 

It  was  strange  that  the  desperate  resolution  and  the 
inexorable  set  of  his  jaws,  which,  as  he  had  made  a 
similar  declaration  on  the  night  of  her  recapture,  had 
caused  her  heart  to  sink,  now  produced  a  sensation  of 
rather  pleasant  excitement.  Instead  of  blanching  with 
fear  or  revolting  in  defiance,  she  replied,  with  a  be 
witching  air  of  mock  terror : 


A  Brace  of  Proclamations  281 

"  Dear  me,  what  a  terrible  fellow !  "  and,  with  a  toss 
of  the  head,  went  on  her  way,  leaving  him  puzzling  his 
heavy  masculine  wits  over  the  fact  that  she  no  longer 
seemed  at  all  afraid  of  him. 

The  Laurel  Hill  walk,  as  I  observed  before,  was  an 
old  favorite  with  Desire,  and  in  her  present  frame  of 
mind  it  seemed  no  sufficient  reason  to  forsake  it  be 
cause  of  the  fact  that  after  this  she  often  met  Perez 
there.  It  is  a  pleasant  excitement,  playing  with  lions 
or  other  formidable  things.  Especially  when  one  has 
long  been  in  terror  of  them,  the  newly  gained  sense  of 
fearlessness  is  highly  exhilarating.  Desire  enjoyed 
playing  with  her  lion,  calming  or  exciting  him,  making 
his  eyes  now  almost  fill  with  tears,  and  now  flash  with 
passion.  The  romantic  novelty  of  the  situation,  which 
might  have  terrified  a  more  timid  maiden,  began  to  be 
its  most  attractive  feature  to  her.  Besides,  he  was 
really  very  good-looking,  come  to  observe  him  closely. 
How  foolish  it  had  been  of  her  to  be  so  afraid  of 
him  at  first!  The  recollection  of  her  former  terror 
actually  amused  her ;  as  if  it  were  not  easy  enough  to 
manage  such  a  fellow !  She  had  not  been  in  such  high 
spirits  for  a  long  time.  She  began  to  think  that  in 
stead  of  being  a  hateful,  terrible,  revolting  tragedy, 
the  rebellion  was  rather  jolly,  providentially  adapted, 
apparently,  for  the  amusement  of  young  ladies  doomed 
to  pass  the  winter  in  dismal  country  towns.  One  day 
her  mother,  commenting  on  the  fact  that  the  patrol 
and  pass  system  of  the  insurgents  had  been  somewhat 
relaxed,  suggested  that  Desire  might  go  to  Pittsfield. 
But  she  said  she  did  not  care  to  go  now.  The  fact  was, 
she  preferred  to  play  with  her  lion,  though  she  did  not 
mention  that  reason  to  her  mother.  When  from  time 
to  time  she  heard  of  the  fear  and  apprehension  with 


282  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

which  the  gentlemen's  families  in  town  regarded 
Perez,  she  even  owned  to  being  a  little  complacent 
over  the  fact  that  this  lawless  dictator  was  her  humble 
adorer.  She  finally  went  so  far  as  occasionally  to  ask 
him  as  a  favor  to  have  this  or  that  done  about  the  vil 
lage.  It  was  such  fun  to  feel  that  through  him  she 
could  govern  the  community.  One  afternoon,  being 
in  a  particularly  gracious  mood,  she  took  a  pink  ribbon 
from  her  neck  and  knotted  it  about  the  hilt  of  his  sword 
as  an  ornament. 

The  hillside  path  among  the  laurel  thickets  where 
they  so  often  chanced  to  meet  was  a  lonely  spot,  be 
yond  the  reach  of  spectators  or  eavesdroppers;  but, 
while  their  meetings  were  thus  secret,  nothing  could 
be  more  discreet  than  the  way  she  managed  them. 
She  kept  him  so  well  in  hand  that  he  did  not  even  dare 
to  speak  of  the  love  of  which  his  whole  manner  was 
eloquent.  Since  she  had  ceased  to  be  afraid  of  him,  he 
had  ceased  to  be  at  all  fear-inspiring.  The  rude  lover, 
whose  lawless  attempts  had  formerly  put  her  in  such 
terror,  was  now  respectful  to  the  point  of  reverence,  and 
almost  timid  in  his  fear  of  offending  her.  The  least 
sign  of  anything  like  tenderness  on  her  part  sufficed  to 
stir  him  with  a  passion  of  humility,  which  in  turn 
touched  her  more  deeply  sometimes  than  she  would 
have  liked  to  admit.  Now  that  she  had  come  to  see 
how  the  poor  fellow  loved  her,  she  could  not  cherish 
the  least  anger  with  him  for  what  he  had  done  to  her. 

Sometimes  she  led  him  on  to  speak  of  himself  and 
his  present  position,  and  he  would  tell  her  of  his  dream 
and  hope,  in  this  present  period  of  anarchy,  to  make 
himself  a  name.  She  was  somewhat  impressed  by  his 
talk,  though  she  would  not  tell  him  so.  She  had  heard 
enough  political  discussion  at  her  father's  and  uncle's 


A   Brace   of  Proclamations  283 

tables  to  know  that  the  future  political  constitution 
and  government  of  the  colonies  were  wholly  unsettled, 
and  that  even  a  royal  and  aristocratic  form,  with 
Washington,  or  some  foreign  princeling,  at  the  head, 
was  advocated  by  many.  Especially  here  in  Massa 
chusetts,  just  now,  almost  anything  was  possible. 
And  so  when  he  said  one  day,  "  They  call  me  the  Duke 
of  Stockbridge  in  jest,  but  it  may  be  in  earnest  yet," 
she  did  not  laugh,  but  owned  to  herself  that  the  tall, 
handsome  fellow  would  look  every  inch  a  duke,  if  he 
only  had  some  better  clothes.  She  did  not  let  him  tell 
her  in  so  many  words  that  the  motive  of  his  ambition 
was  to  win  her,  but  she  knew  it  well  enough,  and  the 
thought  did  not  excite  her  indignation,  though  she 
knew  it  ought  to. 

The  nearest  she  would  let  him  come  to  talking  love 
to  her  was  to  talk  of  their  childhood  and  how  he  had 
adored  her  then.  Her  own  remembrance  of  those 
days  of  budding  girlhood  was  dim,  but  he  seemed  to 
remember  everything  about  her,  and  she  could  but  be 
touched  as  he  reminded  her  of  scores  of  little  inci 
dents,  and  scenes,  and  words  which  had  quite  escaped 
her  memory.  The  doting  tenderness  which  his  tone 
sometimes  took  on  as  he  dwelt  on  these  reminiscences 
made  her  heart  beat  rather  fast,  and  in  her  embarrass 
ment  she  had  some  ado  to  make  light  of  the  subject. 

But  now  Indian  summer,  by  whose  grace  the  warm 
weather  had  been  extended  nearly  through  November, 
came  abruptly  to  a  close.  New  England  weather  was 
as  barbarous  in  its  sudden  changes  then  as  now.  One 
day  was  warm  and  pleasant,  the  next  a  foot  of  snow 
covered  the  ground,  and  the  next  after  that  the  ther 
mometer,  had  there  been  one  at  that  date  in  Berk 
shire,  would  have  recorded  zero.  The  Sunday  before 


284  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Thanksgiving  was  bitterly  cold,  "tejus  weather"  in 
the  farmer's  phrase.  There  was,  of  course,  no  stove 
or  other  heater  in  the  meeting-house,  and  the  temper 
ature  within  differed  very  slightly  from  that  without, 
a  circumstance  aggravated  by  the  fact  that  furs  were 
as  yet  almost  unknown  in  the  wardrobes  even  of  the 
wealthiest  of  the  people.  A  small  tippet  of  Desire's, 
sent  from  England,  was  the  only  thing  of  the  kind  in 
the  town.  Parson  West  wore  his  gown  and  bands  out 
side  an  overcoat  and  turned  his  notes  with  thick  wool 
en  mittens,  now  and  then  giving  a  brisk  rub  to  his 
ears.  Like  so  many  clouds  of  incense  rose  the  breath 
of  the  auditors,  as  they  shivered  on  the  hard  board 
seats.  The  wintry  wind  blew  in  gusts  through  the 
plentifully  broken  window-panes  —  for  glass  was  as 
brittle  then  as  now  and  costlier  to  replace — and  every 
now  and  then  sifted  a  whiff  of  snow  down  the  backs  of 
the  sitters  in  the  gallery.  Fathers  and  mothers  es 
sayed  to  still  their  little  ones'  chattering  teeth  by  tak 
ing  them  in  their  laps  and  holding  them  tight,  and 
where  a  woman  was  provided  with  the  luxury  of  a 
foot-stove  or  hot-stone  children  were  squatted  around 
it  in  the  bottom  of  the  pew,  quarreling  with  each  other 
to  get  their  tingling  toes  upon  it.  An  ominous  sound 
of  coughing  arose  from  the  audience,  mingled  with 
sneezing  from  such  as  were  now  first  taking  their  all- 
winter  colds,  and  diversified  from  time  to  time  by  the 
wail  of  some  child  too  miserable  and  desperate  to  have 
any  fear  of  the  parental  knuckles  before  its  face. 

Struggling  with  these  noises,  and  sometimes  wholly 
lost  to  those  in  the  back  part  of  the  house,  when  some 
tremendous  gust  of  wind  shook  and  strained  the  build 
ing,  the  voice  of  Parson  West  flowed  on  and  on.  He 
was  demonstrating  that,  seeing  it  was  evident  some 


A  Brace  of  Proclamations  285 

souls  would  be  lost,  it  must  be  for  the  glory  of  God  that 
they  should  be  lost,  and  such  being  the  case,  all  true 
saints  must  and  should  rejoice  in  the  fact,  and  praise 
God  for  it.  But  in  order  that  their  approval  of  the 
Divine  decree  in  this  matter  should  be  genuine  and 
sincere  it  must  be  purely  disinterested,  and  therefore 
they  must  be  willing,  if  God  in  His  inscrutable  wisdom 
should  so  will,  to  be  themselves  among  the  lost  and 
forever  to  hate  and  blaspheme  Him  in  hell,  because 
thus  would  His  glory  be  served.  The  parson  warmly 
urged  that  all  who  believed  themselves  to  have  been 
born  again  should  constantly  inquire  of  their  own 
souls  whether  they  were  so  resigned,  for  if  they  did 
not  feel  that  they  were,  it  was  to  be  feared  they  were 
still  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins. 

The  sermon  ended,  the  parson  proceeded  to  read  the 
annual  Thanksgiving  Day  proclamation  of  the  Gover 
nor.  To  this  magic  formula,  which  annually  evoked 
from  the  great  brick  oven  stuffed  turkey,  chicken  pie, 
mince  pie,  and  plum  pudding  galore,  the  children  lis 
tened  with  faces  of  mingled  awe  and  delight,  forgetful 
of  their  aching  toes.  The  mothers  smiled  at  the  chil 
dren,  while  the  sheepish  grins  and  glances  exchanged 
between  the  youths  and  maidens  in  their  opposite 
galleries  showed  them  not  unmindful  of  the  usual 
Thanksgiving  ball,  and,  generally  speaking,  it  is  to  be 
feared  the  thoughts  of  the  congregation  were  quite 
diverted,  for  the  time  being,  from  the  spiritual  exer 
cise  suggested  by  the  parson.  But  then  the  people 
lifted  faces  of  surprise  to  the  pulpit,  for  instead  of  the 
benediction  the  parson  began  to  read  yet  another  proc 
lamation.  It  was  no  less  than  an  offer  by  His  Excel 
lency  the  Governor  and  the  Honorable  Council  of  par 
don  to  those  concerned  in  the  late  risings  against  the 


286  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

courts,  provided  they  should  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  State  before  the  first  day  of  January,  with  the 
warning  that  all  not  availing  themselves  in  time  of  this 
offer  would  be  subjected  to  arrest  without  bail  at  the 
Governor's  discretion,  under  the  recent  act  suspending 
the  habeas  corpus.  Added  to  which  was  a  recital  of 
the  special  act  of  the  legislature,  that  all  persons  who 
did  not  at  once  disperse  upon  the  reading  of  the  riot  act 
were  to  receive  thirty-nine  lashes  and  one  year's  impris 
onment,  with  thirty-nine  more  lashes  at  the  end  of  each 
three  months  of  that  period. 

There  was  little  enough  Thanksgiving  look  on  the 
people's  faces  by  the  time  the  parson  had  made  an 
end,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  in  many  a  heart  the 
echo  of  the  closing  formula,  "  God  save  the  Common 
wealth,"  was  something  like,  "  May  the  devil  take  it." 

"  Pardon  fer  what,  I  sh'd  like  ter  know,"  blurted  out 
Abner  on  the  meeting-house  steps.  "  I  dunno  nothin' 
'baout  the  rest  on  ye,  but  I  hain't  done  nothin'  I'm 
'shamed  on." 

And  Israel  Goodrich  said,  "  Ef  he's  goin'  ter  go 
ter  pardonin'  us  for  lettin'  them  poor  dyin'  critters 
out  o'  jail  ter  Harrington  t'other  day,  he's  jest  got  the 
shoe  onter  the  wrong  foot.  It's  them  as  put  'em  in 
needs  the  pardonin',  'cordin'  tew  my  notion." 

"An'  I  guess  we  don't  want  no  pardon  fer  stoppin' 
courts  nuther.  Ef  the  Lord  pardons  us  fer  not  hang- 
in'  the  jedges  an*  lawyers,  it'll  be  more'n  I  look  fer," 
observed  Peleg  Bidwell. 

"  Here  comes  the  Duke, "  said  another.  "  What  do  yew 
say  ter  this  'ere  proclamation,  cap'n?" 

Perez  laughed. 

"  The  more  paper  government  wastes  on  proclama 
tions,  the  less  it'll  have  left  for  cartridges,"  he  replied. 


A   Brace  of  Proclamations  287 

There  was  a  laugh  at  this,  but  it  was  rather  grim 
sort  of  talk,  and  a  good  many  of  the  farmers  got  into 
their  sleighs  and  drove  away  with  very  sober  faces. 

"It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end,"  said  Squire  Ed 
wards,  in  high  good  humor,  as  he  sat  in  his  parlor  that 
evening.  "  From  my  seat  I  could  see  the  people. 
They  were  like  frightened  sheep.  The  rebellion  is 
knocked  on  the  head.  The  Governor  won't  have  to 
call  out  a  soldier.  You  see  the  scoundrels  have  bad 
consciences,  and  that  makes  cowards  of  them.  This 
Hamlin  here  will  be  running  away  to  save  his  neck  in 
a  week,  mark  my  words." 

"I  don't  believe  he  is  a  coward,  father;  I  don't  be 
lieve  he'll  run  away,"  said  Desire,  explosively,  and 
then  quickly  rose  from  the  chair  and  turned  her  back, 
and  looked  out  the  window  into  the  darkness. 

"What  do  you  know  about  him,  child?"  said  her 
father,  in  surprise. 

"  I  don't  think  he  seems  like  one,"  said  Desire,  still 
with  her  back  turned.  And  then  she  added,  more 
quietly,  "  You  know  he  was  a  captain  in  the  army,  and 
was  in  battles." 

"I  don't  know  it;  nobody  knows  it.  He  says  so, 
that's  all,"  replied  Edwards,  laughing  contemptuously. 
"  All  we  know  about  it  is,  he  wears  an  old  uniform. 
He  might  have  picked  it  up  in  a  gutter,  or  stolen  it 
anywhere.  General  Pepoon  thinks  he  stole  it,  and  I 
shouldn't  wonder." 

"It's  a  lie,  a  wicked  lie!"  cried  the  girl,  whirling 
around,  and  confronting  her  father,  with  blazing 
cheeks  and  eyes. 

She  had  been  in  a  ferment  ever  since  she  had  heard 
the  proclamation  read  that  afternoon  at  meeting,  and 
her  father's  words  had  added  the  last  aggravation  to 


288  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

the  already  excited  state  of  her  nerves.  Squire  Ed 
wards  looked  dumbfounded,  and  Mrs.  Edwards  cried 
in  astonishment : 

"Desire,  child,  what's  all  this?" 

But  before  the  girl  could  speak,  there  was  an  effect 
ual  diversion.  Jonathan  came  rushing  in  from  out 
doors,  crying: 

"  They're  burning  the  Governor!  " 

"What!  "  gasped  his  father. 

"They've  stuffed  some  clothes  with  straw,  so's  to 
look  like  a  man,  and  put  that  hat  of  Justice  Goodrich's 
they  fetched  back  from  Barrington  on  top,  and  they're 
burning  it  for  Governor  Bowdoin,  on  the  hill,"  cried 
Jonathan.  "  See  there !  You  can  see  it  from  the  win 
dow.  See  the  light!" 

Sure  enough,  on  the  summit  of  Laurel  Hill  the  light 
of  a  big  bonfire  shone  like  a  beacon. 

"  It's  just  where  they  burned  Benedict  Arnold's 
effigy  in  the  war,"  continued  Jonathan.  "There  are 
more'n  a  hundred  men  up  there.  They're  awful  mad 
with  the  Governor.  There  was  some  powder  put  in 
the  straw,  and  when  the  fire  came  to  it,  it  blew  up,  and 
the  people  laughed.  But  Cap'n  Hamlin  said  't  was  a 
pity  to  waste  the  powder.  They  might  need  it  all  be 
fore  this  business  was  through  with.  And  then  they 
cheered  again.  He  meant  there'd  be  fighting,  father." 

In  the  new  excitement  there  was  no  thought  of  re 
suming  the  conversation  which  Jonathan's  advent  had 
broken  off  so  opportunely  for  Desire,  and  the  latter  was 
able  without  further  challenge  to  escape  to  her  own 
room.  Scarcely  had  she  reached  it  when  tnere  was  a 
sound  of  fife  and  drum  and  presently  a  hundred  men 
or  more  with  hemlock  in  their  hats  came  marching  by 
on  their  way  from  Laurel  Hill,  and  Perez  Hamlin  was 


A   Brace  of  Proclamations  289 

riding  ahead.  They  were  singing  in  rude  chorus  one 
of  the  popular  songs  of  the  late  war,  or  rather  of  the 
Stamp  Act  agitation  preceding  it: 

"With  the  beasts  of  the  wood,  we  will  ramble  for  food, 
And  lodge  in  wild  deserts  and  caves, 
And  live  as  poor  Job  on  the  skirts  of  the  globe, 
Before  we'll  submit  to  be  slaves,  brave  boys, 
Before  we'll  submit  to  be  slaves." 

Such  was  the  rebels'  response  to  the  Governor's  proc 
lamation  of  mingled  mercy  and  threats.  Desire  had 
thrown  open  her  window  at  the  sound  of  the  music, 
and,  carried  away  with  excitement,  as  Perez  looked  up 
and  bowed,  she  waved  her  handkerchief  to  him.  Yes, 
Desire  Edwards  actually  waved  her  handkerchief  to  the 
captain  of  the  mob.  In  the  shining  winter  night  her 
act  was  plainly  seen  by  the  passing  men,  and  her  par 
ents  and  brother  who  having  first  blown  out  the  can 
dle,  were  looking  out  from  the  lower  windows,  were 
astonished  beyond  measure  to  hear  the  ringing  cheer 
which  the  passing  throng  sent  up.  Then  Desire  wept 
a  little,  and  went  to  bed  feeling  very  reckless. 

Squire  Edwards  had  clearly  been  mistaken  in  think 
ing  that  the  proclamation  had  made  an  end  of  the  re 
bellion.  Its  first  effect  had  been  rather  intimidating, 
no  doubt,  but  upon  reflection  the  insurgents  found  that 
they  were  more  angry  than  frightened.  It  was  indeed 
just  opposition  enough  to  exasperate  those  who  were 
fully  committed  and  to  stimulate  them  to  more  vigorous 
demonstrations;  and  an  express  from  Captain  Shays 
having  summoned  a  Berkshire  contingent  to  join  in  a  big 
military  demonstration  at  Worcester,  fifty  armed  men 
under  Abner  marched  from  Stockbridge  Thanksgiving 
Day,  amid  an  excitement  scarcely  equaled  since  the 
19 


290  The   Duke  of  Stockbridge 

day  when  Jahleel  Woodbridge's  minute-men  had  left 
for  Bennington.  But  the  return  of  the  party  about  the 
middle  of  December  threw  a  damper  on  the  enthusi 
asm.  The  demonstration  at  Worcester  had  been  in 
deed  a  brilliant  success  in  some  respects.  One  thou 
sand  well-armed  men,  headed  by  Shays  himself,  with  a 
full  staff  of  officers  and  a  band  of  music,  had  held  the 
town  for  several  days  in  full  military  occupation,  over 
awing  the  militia,  preventing  the  sitting  of  the  courts, 
and  even  threatening  to  march  on  Boston.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  the  temper  of  the  population  had  been  luke 
warm  and  often  hostile.  The  soldiers  had  been  half 
starved  through  the  refusal  to  supply  provisions,  and 
nearly  frozen.  Some,  indeed,  had  died.  In  coming 
back  a  number  of  the  Berkshire  men  had  been  arrested 
and  maltreated  in  Northampton.  Formidable  military 
preparations  were  being  made  by  the  government,  and 
parties  of  Boston  cavalry  were  scouring  the  eastern 
counties  and  had  taken  several  insurgent  leaders  pris 
oners,  who  would  probably  be  hanged.  The  men  had 
been  demoralized  by  the  spread  of  a  well-substantiated 
report  that  Shays  had  offered  to  desert  to  the  other 
side  if  he  could  be  assured  of  pardon.  In  the  lower 
counties,  indeed,  all  the  talk  was  of  pardon  and  terms  of 
submission.  The  white  paper  cockade,  which  had  been 
adopted  in  contradistinction  to  the  hemlock  as  the 
badge  of  the  government  party,  predominated  in 
many  of  the  towns  through  which  Abner's  party 
had  passed. 

"That  air  proclamation's  kind  o'  scairt  'em  more'n 
it  did  us  Berkshire  folks,"  Abner  explained  to  a  crowd 
at  the  tavern.  "They  all  want  ter  be  on  the  hang 
man's  side  when  it  comes  ter  the  hangin'.  They 
hain't  got  the  pluck  of  a  weasel,  them  fellers  daown 


A   Brace  of  Proclamations  291 

east  hain't.  This  'ere  war'll  hev  ter  be  fit  aout  in  this 
'ere  caounty,  I  guess,  ef  wust  comes  to  wust." 

"They've  got  a  slew  o'  men  daown  Bosting  way," 
said  a  farmer.  "  I'm  afraid  we  couldn't  hold  aout  ag'in 
'em  long  ef  it  come  ter  fightin',  an'  they  should  really 
tackle  us." 

"I  dunno  'baout  that,  nuther,"  declared  Abner  with 
a  cornerwise  nod  of  the  head.  "  There  be  plenty  o' 
pesky  places  'long  the  road  when  it  gits  up  inter  the 
mountings  an'  is  narrer  and  windin'-like.  I  wouldn't 
ask  fer  more'n  a  comp'ny  ter  stop  a  regiment  in  them 
places.  I  wuz  talkin'  ter  the  Duke  'baout  that  ter-day. 
He  says  the  hull  caounty's  a  reg'lar  fort,  an'  ef  the 
folks  '11  hang  together  it  can't  be  took  by  the  hull  rest 
o'  the  State.  We  kin  hold  aout  jist  like  the  Green 
Mounting  boys  did  ag'in  the  Yorkers,  an'  licked  'em 
tew,  and  got  shetof  'em,  an'  be  independent  ter-day,  by 
gol,  same  ez  Berkshire  ought  ter  be." 

"Trew's  gospel,  Abner,"  averred  Israel  Goodrich; 
"there  ain't  no  use  o'  the  two  eends  o'  the  State  try  in' 
ter  git  on  together.  They  hain't  never  made  aout  ter 
'gree,  an'  I  guess  they  never  would  nuther  ef  they  tried 
it  a  hundred  year  more.  Darn  it,  the  folks  is  different 
folks  daown  east  o'  Worcester.  River  folk  is  more  like 
us,  but  git  daown  east  o'  Worcester,  an'  I  hain't  no 
opinion  on  'em." 

"  Yer  right  there,  Isr'el,"  said  Abner  with  heartiness. 
"  I  can't  bear  Bosting  fellers  no  more'n  I  kin  a  skunk, 
and  I  kin  tell  'em  'baout  ez  far  off.  I  dunno  what  't  is 
'baout  'em,  but  I  can't  git  up  no  more  feller  feelin'  fer 
'em  nor  I  kin  fer  Britishers.  Seem's  though  they 
weren't  ezackly  human,  though  I  s'pose  they  be — but 
darn  'em  anyhaow. " 

"  I   calc'late   there's    suthin'   in    the  mounting  air 


292  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

changes  men,"  said  Peleg,  "fer  it's  sartin  we  be  more 
like  the  Green  Mounting  boys  in  aour  notions  an* 
ways,  than  we  be  like  the  Bosting  chaps. " 

"  I'd  be  in  favor  o'  j'inin'  onto  Vairmotmt,  an'  mebbe 
that'll  be  the  upshot  on  't  all,"  observed  Ezra  Phelps. 
"Ye  see,  Vairmount  hain't  a-belongin'  ter  the  cussed 
continental  federation,  an'  it  hain't  got  none  o'  them 
big  debts  ez  is  hangin'  raound  the  necks  o'  the  thir 
teen  States,  and  so  we  sh'd  git  rid  o'  the  biggest  part 
o'  our  taxes,  all  kerslap.  Vairmount  is  an  independ 
ent  kentry,  an'  I  think  we'd  better  j'ine.  Ef  they'd 
made  aout  with  that  air  notion  folks  hed  a  spell  ago, 
'baout  raisin'  up  a  new  State,  made  aout  o'  Hampshire 
caounty  an'  a  track  o'  land  ter  the  north 'ard,  't  would 
ha'  been  jest  the  sort  o'  thing  fer  us  Berkshire  fellers 
to  ha'  hitched  on  tew." 

"  I  never  hearn  nothin'  'baout  that  idea,"  said  Peleg. 

"  I  s'pose  ye  hain't,"  replied  Ezra.  "  I  wuz  livin'  in 
Hampshire  them  times,  an'  so  I  wuz  right  in  the  way 
o'  the  talk.  They  wuz  goin'  ter  call  the  State  New 
Connecticut.  But  the  idee  never  come  ter  nothin'. 
The  war  come  on  an'  folks  hed  other  fish  ter  fry." 

But  Israel  declared  that  he  was  not  in  favor  of  join 
ing  on  to  anything.  Berkshire  was  big  enough  State 
for  him,  and  he  did  not  want  to  see  any  better  times 
than  along  from  '74  to  '80,  when  Berkshire  would  take 
no  orders  from  Boston. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 
Snowbound 

ALL  through  the  first  half  of  December  one  heavy 
snow-storm  had  followed  another.  The  roads  about 
Stockbridge  were  often  blocked  for  days  together.  In 
the  village  the  work  of  digging  paths  along  the  side 
walks,  between  the  widely  parted  houses,  was  quite  too 
great  to  be  so  much  as  thought  of,  and  the  only  way  of 
getting  about  was  in  sleighs,  or  wading  mid-leg  deep. 
Of  course  for  the  women  this  meant  virtual  imprison 
ment  to  the  house,  save  on  the  occasion  of  the  Sunday 
drive  to  meeting.  In  these  days,  even  the  disciplinary 
tedium  of  a  convict's  imprisonment  is  relieved  by  sup 
plies  of  reading  matter  gathered  by  benevolent  socie 
ties.  But  for  the  imprisoned  women  of  whom  I  write 
there  was  not  even  this  recreation.  Printing  had  in 
deed  been  invented  some  hundreds  of  years,  but  it  can 
scarcely  be  said  that  books  had  been  as  yet,  and  espe 
cially  the  kind  of  books  that  women  care  to  read.  A 
Bible,  concordance,  and  perhaps  a  commentary,  with 
maybe  three  or  four  other  grave  volumes,  formed  the 
limit  of  the  average  library  in  wealthy  Berkshire  fami 
lies  of  that  day. 

It  is  needless  to  say,  then,  that  Desire's  time  hung 
very  heavy  on  her  hands,  despite  the  utmost  allevia 
tions  which  embroidery,  piano-playing,  and  cake-mak 
ing  could  afford.  For  her>  isolated  by  social  superior 
ity,  and  just  now,  more  than  ever,  separated  from 


294  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

intercourse  with  the  lower  classes  by  reason  of  the 
present  political  animosities,  there  was  no  participa 
tion  in  the  sports  which  made  the  season  lively  for  the 
farmers'  daughters.  The  moonlight  sledding  and  skat 
ing  expeditions,  the  promiscuously  packed  and  uproar 
ious  sleighing-parties,  the  candy-pulls  and  "  bees "  of 
one  sort  and  another,  and  all  the  other  robust  and  not 
over-decorous  social  recreations  in  which  the  rural 
youths  and  maidens  of  that  day  delighted,  were  not  for 
the  storekeeper's  fastidious  daughter.  The  aristo 
cratic  families  in  town  did  indeed  afford  a  more  re 
fined  and  correspondingly  duller  social  circle,  but  nat 
urally  enough,  in  the  present  state  of  politics,  there  was 
very  little  thought  of  jollity  in  that  quarter. 

And  so,  as  I  said,  it  was  very  dull  for  Desire — in 
fact,  terribly  dull.  The  only  outside  distraction  all 
through  the  livelong  day  was  the  occasional  passage  of 
a  team  in  the  road,  and  her  mother,  too,  usually  occu 
pied  the  chair  at  the  only  window  commanding  a  view 
of  the  road.  And  when  the  aching  dullness  of  the  day 
was  over,  and  the  candles  were  lit  for  the  evening,  and 
the  little  ones  had  been  sent  to  bed,  there  was  nothing 
for  her  but  to  sit  in  the  chimney  corner,  and  look  at 
the  blazing  logs,  and  brood  and  brood,  till  at  bedtime 
her  father  and  Jonathan  came  in  from  the  store.  Then 
her  mother  woke  up,  and  there  was  a  little  talk,  but 
after  that  yawned  the  long  dead  night — sleep,  sleep, 
nothing  but  sleep  for  a  heart  and  brain  that  cried  out 
for  occupation. 

Up  to  the  time  when  the  sudden  coming  of  the  win 
ter  put  an  abrupt  end  to  her  meeting  with  Perez,  she 
was  merely  playing,  as  a  princess  might  play  with  a 
servitor.  She  had  merely  allowed  his  devotion  to 
amuse  her  idleness.  But  now,  thanks  to  the  tedium 


Snowbound  295 

which  made  any  mental  distraction  welcome,  the  com 
plexion  of  her  thoughts  concerning  the  young  man  suf 
fered  a  gradual  change.  Having  no  other  resource, 
she  gave  her  fancy  carte  blanche  to  amuse  her,  and 
what  materials  could  fancy  find  so  effective  as  the  ex 
citing  experiences  of  the  last  autumn?  Sitting  before 
the  great  open  fireplace  in  the  evenings,  while  her 
mother  dozed  in  the  chimney  corner,  and  the  silence 
was  broken  only  by  the  purring  of  the  cat,  the  crack 
ling  of  the  fire,  the  ticking  of  the  clock,  and  the  low 
noise  heard  through  the  partition  of  men  talking  over 
their  cups  with  her  father  in  the  back  room  of  the  store, 
she  fell  into  reveries  from  which  she  would  be  roused 
by  the  thick,  hot  beating  of  her  heart,  or  wake  with 
cheeks  dyed  in  blushes  at  the  voice  of  her  mother. 
And  then  the  long,  dreamful  night.  Almost  two 
thirds  of  each  twenty-four  hours  in  this  dark  season 
belonged  to  the  domain  of  dreams.  What  wonder  that 
discretion  should  find  itself  all  unable  to  hold  its  own 
against  fancy  in  such  a  world  of  shadows?  What  won 
der  that,  when  after  meeting  on  Sundays  she  met 
Perez  as  she  was  stepping  into  her  father's  sleigh  at 
the  meeting-house  door,  she  should  feel  too  confused 
to  look  him  fairly  in  the  face,  much  as  she  had  thought 
all  through  the  week  before  of  that  opportunity  of 
meeting  him? 

One  day  it  chanced  that  Mrs.  Edwards,  who  was  sit 
ting  by  the  window,  said  abruptly, 

"  Here  comes  that  Hamlin  fellow." 

Desire  sprang  up  with  such  an  appearance  of  agita 
tion  that  her  mother  added, 

44  Don't  be  scared,  child  He  won't  come  in  here. 
It's  only  into  the  store  he's  coming/* 

She   naturally  presumed  that   it  was  terror  which 


296  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

occasioned  her  daughter's  perturbation.  What  would 
have  been  her  astonishment  if  she  could  have  followed 
the  girl,  as  she  presently  went  up  to  her  room,  and 
seen  her  cowering  there  by  the  window  in  the  cold  for 
a  full  half-hour,  so  that  she  might,  through  a  rent  in 
the  curtain,  obtain  a  glimpse  of  Perez  as  he  left  the 
store?  I  am  not  sure  that  I  even  do  right  in  telling 
the  reader  of  this.  Indeed,  her  own  pride  did  so  re 
volt  against  her  weakness  that  she  tingled  scarcely  less 
with  shame  than  with  cold  as  she  knelt  there.  Once 
or  twice  she  did  actually  rise  up  and  leave  the  window, 
and  start  to  go  downstairs,  saying  that  she  was  glad 
she  had  not  seen  him  yet,  for  she  could  still  draw  back 
with  some  self-respect.  But  even  as  she  was  thus  in 
the  act  of  retiring,  some  sound  of  footsteps  in  the  store 
below,  suggesting  that  now  he  might  be  going  out, 
brought  her  hurriedly  back  to  the  window.  And 
when  at  last  he  did  go,  in  her  eagerness  to  see  him  she 
forgot  all  about  her  scruples.  Her  heart  sprang  into 
her  throat  as  she  caught  sight  of  him.  She  could  have 
cried  with  vexation  at  a  fleck  in  the  miserable  glass 
which  spoiled  her  view.  Then  when  he  turned  and 
looked  up,  a  wave  of  color  rushed  all  over  her  face, 
and  she  jumped  back  in  such  fear  at  the  thought  that 
he  might  see  her,  although  she  was  well  hidden,  that 
he  had  passed  out  of  sight  ere  she  dared  look  again. 
But  that  upward  glance  and  the  eager  look  in  his  eyes 
consoled  her  for  the  loss.  Had  he  not  looked  up,  she 
would  no  doubt  have  yielded  to  a  revulsion  of  self-con 
tempt  for  her  weakness,  which  would  have  been  a 
damper  on  her  growing  infatuation.  But  that  glance 
had  made  her  foolishly,  glowingly  elated,  and  disposed 
to  make  light  of  the  reproaches  of  her  pride. 

"  I  suppose  you  were  waiting  for  that  Hamlin  fellow 


Snowbound  297 

to  go  away,  before  coming  down,"  said  her  mother  as 
Desire  re-entered  the  living-room.  The  girl  started 
and  averted  her  face  with  a  guilty  terror,  saying  faint 
ly,  "What?"  How  did  her  mother  know?  Her  fears 
were  relieved,  though  not  her  embarrassment,  as  her 
mother  added : 

"You  needn't  have  been  so  much  frightened,  al 
though  I  really  can't  blame  you  for  it,  after  all  you've 
been  through  at  his  hands.  Still  he  would  scarcely 
dare,  with  all  his  impudence,  to  try  to  force  a  way  in 
here.  You  would  have  been  quite  safe  had  you  stayed 
downstairs. " 

The  good  lady  could  not  understand  why,  in  spite  of 
this  reassurance,  Desire  should  thereafter  persist,  as 
she  did,  in  retiring  to  her  own  room  whenever  Hamlin 
came  into  the  store.  The  girl's  infatuation  was  on 
the  increase.  She  had  become  quite  shameless  and 
hardened  about  using  her  point  of  espionage  to  see, 
without  being  seen,  the  lover  who  so  occupied  her 
thoughts.  The  only  events  of  the  slow,  dull  days  for 
her  now  were  his  visits  to  the  store.  She  no  longer 
started  back  when,  in  going,  his  eager  glance  rose  to 
her  window,  but  panting,  yet  secure  behind  her  covert, 
looked  into  his  eyes  and  scanned  his  expression. 
Sometimes  a  quick  rush  of  tears  would  rob  her  of  her 
visions  as  she  read  in  the  sad  hunger  of  those  eyes  how 
he  longed  for  a  glimpse  of  her  face.  But  for  very 
shame's  sake  she  would  have  pulled  the  curtains  up. 
It  was  so  unfair  of  her,  she  thought  self-reproachfully, 
to  sate  her  own  eyes  while  cheating  his.  She  knew 
well  enough  that  all  which  brought  him  to  the  store  so 
often  was  the  hope  of  seeing  and  speaking  with  her. 
And  finally,  about  the  middle  of  January,  she  made  a 
desperate  resolution  that  he  should.  For  several  days 


298          The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

she  managed  to  occupy  her  mother's  usual  seat  by  the 
window  commanding  the  approach  to  the  store,  and 
finally  was  rewarded  by  seeing  Hamlin  go  in.  She 
said  nothing  at  first,  but  soon  remarked  carelessly, 

"  I  wonder  if  father  hasn't  got  some  other  dimity  in 
the  store." 

"Perhaps.  I  think  not,  though,"  replied  Mrs.  Ed 
wards.  Desire  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  stifled  a  yawn, 
and  presently  said, 

"  I  believe  I'll  just  run  in  and  ask  him  before  I  get 
any  further  on  this."  She  rose  up  leisurely,  stole  a 
glance  at  the  mirror  in  passing — how  pale  she  was ! — 
opened  the  connecting  door,  and  went  into  the  store. 

She  saw  Perez  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye,  the  in 
stant  she  opened  the  door.  But  not  taking  any  notice 
of  him — in  fact,  holding  her  head  very  stiffly,  and  walk 
ing  unusually  fast — she  went  across  to  her  father  and 
asked  him  about  the  dimity.  Receiving  his  reply  she 
turned,  still  without  looking  at  Perez,  and  began  me 
chanically  to  go  back.  So  nervous  and  cowardly  had 
she  been  made  by  the  excessive  preoccupation  of  her 
mind  with  him,  that  she  actually  had  not  the  self-pos 
session  to  carry  out  her  boldly  begun  project  of  speak 
ing  to  him,  now  that  he  was  so  near.  It  seemed  as  if 
she  were  actually  afraid  of  looking  at  him.  But  when 
he  said,  in  a  rather  hurt  tone,  "  Good  afternoon,  Miss 
Edwards,"  she  stopped,  and  turned  abruptly  toward 
him  and  without  speaking  held  out  her  hand.  He  had 
not  ventured  to  offer  his,  but  he  now  took  hers.  Her 
face  was  red  enough  now,  and  what  he  saw  in  her  eyes 
made  him  forget  everything  else.  They  stood  for 
several  seconds  in  this  intensely  awkward  way,  speech 
less,  for  she  had  not  even  answered  his  greeting. 
Squire  Edwards,  in  the  act  of  putting  back  the  roll  of 


Snowbound  299 

dimity  on  the  shelf,  was  staring  over  his  shoulder  at 
them,  astounded.  She  knew  her  father  was  looking  at 
them,  but  she  did  not  care.  She  felt  at  that  moment 
that  she  did  not  care  who  looked  on  or  what  happened. 

"  How  cold  the  weather  is!  "  she  said,  dreamily. 

"Yes,  very,"  replied  Perez. 

"  I  hope  it  will  be  warmer,  soon,  don't  you? "  she 
murmured. 

Then  she  seemed  to  come  to  herself,  slowly  withdrew 
her  hand  from  his,  and  walked  into  the  living-room  and 
shut  the  door,  and  went  upstairs  to  her  chamber.  As 
soon  as  Hamlin  had  gone,  Edwards  went  in  and  spoke 
with  some  indignation  of  his  presumption. 

"  If  he  had  not  let  go  her  hand,  I  should  have  taken 
him  by  the  shoulder  in  another  second,"  he  said, 
angrily. 

"Whatever  made  her  shake  hands  with  him?"  de 
manded  Mrs.  Edwards. 

"  I  suppose  she  thought  she  had  to,  or  he  would  be 
murdering  us  all.  The  girl  acted  very  properly,  and 
would  not  have  noticed  him  if  he  had  not  stopped  her. 
But  by  the  providence  of  God,  matters  now  wear  a 
better  look.  This  fellow  is  no  longer  to  be  greatly 
feared.  The  rebels  lose  ground  daily  in  the  town  as  well 
as  in  the  county  and  State,  and  this  Hamlin  is  losing 
control  even  over  his  own  sort.  If  he  does  not  leave 
the  village  he  will  soon  be  arrested.  There  is  no  need 
that  we  should  humble  ourselves  before  him  any 
longer." 

All  of  which  was  quite  true.  For  while  we  have 
been  following  the  dreams  of  a  fancy-fevered  girl,  se 
cluded  in  her  snow-bound  home  among  the  hills  of 
Berkshire,  the  scenes  had  shifted  swiftly  in  the  great 
drama  of  the  rebellion,  and  a  total  change  had  come 


300  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

over  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the  revolt.  The 
policy  of  conciliation  pursued  by  the  State  government 
had  borne  its  fruit — better  and  more  speedy  fruit  than 
any  other  policy  could  have  borne.  Any  other  would 
have  plunged  the  State  into  bloody  war  and  been  of 
doubtful  final  issue.  The  credit  for  its  adoption  was  due 
primarily  to  the  popular  form  of  the  government  which 
made  it  impossible  for  the  authorities  to  act  save  in  ac 
cordance  with  popular  sentiment.  There  was  no  force 
save  the  militia,  and  for  their  use  the  approval  of  the 
two  houses  of  the  legislature  was  needful.  The  con 
servative  and  aristocratic  Senate  might  alone  have  fa 
vored  a  harsh  course,  but  it  could  do  nothing  without 
the  House,  which  fully  sympathized  with  the  people. 
The  result  was  a  compromise  by  which  the  legislature 
at  its  extra  session,  ending  the  middle  of  November, 
passed  laws  giving  the  people  the  most  of  what  they 
demanded,  and  then  threatened  them  with  the  heavy 
arm  of  the  law  if  they  did  not  thereafter  conduct  them 
selves  peaceably. 

To  alleviate  the  distress  from  the  lack  of  circulating 
medium,  the  payment  of  back  taxes  in  certain  specified 
articles  other  than  money  was  authorized,  and  real 
and  personal  estate  at  appraised  value  was  made  legal 
tender  in  actions  for  debt  and  in  satisfaction  for  execu 
tions.  An  act  was  also  passed  and  others  were  prom 
ised,  reducing  the  justly  complained-of  costs  of  legal 
processes,  and  the  fee  tables  of  attorneys,  sheriffs, 
clerks  of  courts  and  justices ;  for,  according  to  the  sys 
tem  then  in  vogue,  most  classes  of  judges  were  paid  by 
fees  from  litigating  parties  instead  of  by  salary.  The 
complaint  against  the  appropriation  of  so  large  a  part 
of  the  income  from  the  import  and  excise  taxes  to  the 
payment  of  interest  on  the  State  debt,  was  met  by  the 


Snowbound  301 

appropriation  of  one  third  of  those  taxes  toward  govern 
ment  expenses.  To  be  sure,  the  legislature  had  refused 
to  provide  for  the  emission  of  any  more  paper  money, 
and  this,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  was  unpardonable; 
but  it  had  shown  a  disposition  to  make  up  in  some  de 
gree  for  this  failure  by  passing  a  law  to  establish  a 
mint  in  Boston.  These  concessions  practically  cut  the 
ground  out  from  under  the  rebellion,  and  the  practical- 
minded  people  of  the  State,  reckoning  up  what  they 
had  gained,  wisely  concluded  that  it  would  not  be 
worth  while  to  go  to  blows  for  the  residue,  especially 
as  there  was  every  reason  to  think  that  the  legislature  at 
its  next  sitting  would  complete  the  work  of  reform  it 
had  so  well  begun.  A  convention  of  the  Hampshire 
County  people  at  Hadley,  on  the  second  of  January, 
gave  formal  expression  to  these  views  in  a  resolution 
advising  all  persons  to  lay  aside  arms  and  trust  to 
peaceable  petition  for  the  redress  of  such  grievances 
as  still  remained. 

Indeed,  even  if  the  mass  of  the  people  had  been  less 
satisfied  than  they  had  reason  to  be  with  the  legisla 
ture's  action,  they  had  had  quite  enough  of  anarchy. 
The  original  stopping  of  the  courts  and  the  jail  deliveries 
had  been  done  with  their  entire  approval.  But,  as  might 
be  expected,  the  mobs  which  had  done  the  business 
had  been  chiefly  recruited  from  the  idle  and  shiftless. 
Each  village  had  furnished  its  contingent  of  tavern 
loafers,  ne'er-do-wells,  and  returned  soldiers  with  a 
distaste  for  industry.  These  fellows  were  all  prompt 
to  feel  their  importance  and  responsibility  as  champions 
of  the  people,  and  to  a  large  extent  had  taken  the  do 
mestic  police  as  well  as  military  affairs  into  their  own 
hands.  Of  course  it  was  not  long  before  these  self- 
elected  dictators  began  to  indulge  themselves  in  un- 


302  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

warrantable  liberties  with  persons  and  property,  while 
the  vicious  and  criminal  classes  generally,  taking  ad 
vantage  of  the  suspension  of  law,  zealously  made  their 
hay  while  the  sun  shone.  In  fact,  whatever  course 
the  government  had  taken,  this  state  of  things  had 
grown  so  unbearable  in  many  places  that  an  insurrec 
tion  within  the  insurrection,  a  revolt  of  the  people 
against  the  rebels,  must  presently  have  taken  place. 
But,  as  may  readily  be  supposed,  these  rebel  bands, 
both  privates  and  officers,  were  by  no  means  in  favor 
of  laying  down  their  arms  and  thereby  relapsing  from 
their  present  position  of  importance  and  authority  to 
their  former  state  of  social  trash,  despised  by  the  solid 
citizens  over  whom  now  they  lorded  it.  Peace,  and 
the  social  insignificance  it  involved,  had  no  charms  for 
them.  Property,  for  the  most  part,  they  had  none  to 
lose.  Largely  veterans  of  the  Revolution,  for  eight 
years  more  used  to  camp  than  house,  the  vagabond 
military  state  was  congenial  to  them  and  its  license 
sufficient  reward.  The  course  of  the  Shays  Rebellion 
will  not  be  readily  comprehensible  to  any  who  leave 
out  of  sight  this  great  multitude  of  returned  soldiers 
with  which  the  State  was  at  the  time  filled,  men  gener 
ally  destitute,  unemployed  and  averse  to  labor,  but  in 
ured  to  war,  eager  for  its  excitements,  and  moreover 
feeling  themselves  aggrieved  by  a  neglectful  and 
thankless  country.  And  so,  though  the  mass  of  the 
people  by  the  early  part  of  winter  had  grown  to  be  in 
different  to  the  rebellion,  if  not  actually  in  sympathy 
with  the  government,  the  insurgent  soldiery  still  held 
together  wonderfully  and  in  a  manner  that  would  be 
impossible  to  understand  without  taking  into  account 
the  peculiar  material  which  composed  it.  Not  a  man 
of  the  lot  took  advantage  of  the  Governor's  proclamation 


Snowbound 


3°3 


offering  pardon,  and  instead  of  being  intimidated  by 
the  crushing  military  force  sent  against  them  in  Janu 
ary,  the  rebel  army  at  the  battle  of  Springfield,  the 
last  day  of  that  month,  was  the  largest  body  of  insur 
gents  that  had  been  assembled  at  any  time. 

The  causes  described,  which  had  been  at  work  in  the 
lowe*-  counties  to  weaken  popular  sympathy  with  the 
insurgents,  had  simultaneously  operated  in  Berkshire. 
The  report  brought  back  from  Worcester  by  Abner's 
men,  with  the  subsequent  action  of  the  Hadley  con 
vention  in  advising  the  laying  aside  of  arms,  had 
strengthened  the  hands  of  the  conservatives  in  Stock- 
bridge.  The  gentlemen  of  the  village  who  had  been 
so  quiet  since  Perez's  relentless  suppression  of  the 
Woodbridge  rising  in  September,  found  their  voices 
again,  and  cautiously  at  first,  but  more  boldly  as  they 
saw  the  favorable  change  of  popular  feeling,  began  to 
talk  and  reason  with  their  fellow-citizens.  If  the  in 
surrection  had  had  no  other  effect,  it  had  at  least 
taught  these  somewhat  haughty  aristocrats  the  neces 
sity  of  a  conciliatory  tone  with  the  lower  classes.  The 
return  home  of  Theodore  Sedgwick  in  the  latter  part 
of  December  gave  a  marked  impulse  to  the  govern 
ment  party,  of  whom  he  was  at  once  recognized  as  the 
leader.  He  had  the  iron  hand  of  Woodbridge,  with  a 
velvet  glove  of  suavity  which  the  other  lacked.  To 
command  seemed  natural  to  him,  but  he  could  per 
suade  with  as  much  dignity  as  he  could  command,  a 
gift  at  once  rare  and  most  needful  in  the  present  emer 
gency.  He  it  was  who  wore  into  the  village  the  first 
white  paper  cockade  which  had  been  seen  there,  though 
within  a  week  after  they  were  fully  as  plenty  as  the 
hemlock  sprigs.  The  news  which  came  in  the  early 
part  of  January,  that  the  government  had  ordered 


304  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

4,400  militia,  under  General  Lincoln,  to  march  into  the 
disaffected  counties,  and  put  down  the  rebellion,  pro 
duced  a  strong  impression.  People  who  had  thought 
that  stopping  a  court  or  two  was  no  great  matter,  and 
indeed  quite  an  old  fashion  in  Berkshire,  were  by  no 
means  ready  to  begin  actually  fighting  the  govern 
ment.  But  still  it  should  be  noted  that  the  majority 
of  those  who  took  off  the  green  emblem  did  not  put  on 
the  white.  The  active  furtherance  of  the  government 
interests  was  left  to  a  comparatively  small  party  The 
mass  of  the  people  contented  themselves  with  with 
drawing  from  open  sympathy  with  the  insurrection 
and  maintaining  a  surly  neutrality.  They  were  tired 
of  the  rebellion,  without  being  warmly  disposed  toward 
the  government.  Neither  the  friends  of  government, 
nor  the  insurgents  who  still  withstood  them,  could  pre 
sume  too  much  on  the  support  of  this  great  neutral 
body,  a  fact  which  prevented  them  from  immediately 
proceeding  to  extremities  against  each  other. 

It  was  fortunate  that  there  was  some  such  check  on 
the  animosity  of  the  two  factions.  For  the  bitterness 
of  the  still  unreconciled  insurgents  against  the  friends 
of  the  government  was  intense.  They  derided  the 
white  cockade  as  "  the  white  feather, "  denounced  its 
wearers  as  "tories,"  every  whit  as  bad  as  those  who 
took  King  George's  part  against  the  people,  and  de 
serving  nothing  better  than  confiscation  and  hanging. 
Outrages  committed  upon  the  persons  and  families  of 
government  sympathizers  in  outlying  settlements  were 
daily  reported.  Against  Sedgwick  especial  animosity 
was  felt,  but  though  he  was  constantly  riding  about  the 
county  to  organize  and  encourage  the  government 
party,  his  reputation  for  indomitable  courage  pro 
tected  him  from  personal  molestation  under  conditions 


Snowbound  305 

where  another  man  would  have  been  mobbed.  In 
Stockbridge  itself,  there  were  no  violent  collisions  of 
the  two  parties  save  in  the  case  of  the  children,  ter 
rific  snowball  fights  raging  daily  in  the  streets  between 
the  "  Shayites "  and  the  "  Boston  Army."  Had  Perez 
listened  to  the  counsels  of  his  followers,  the  exchange 
of  hard  knocks  in  the  village  would  have  been  by  no 
means  confined  to  the  children.  But  he  well  knew 
that  the  change  in  public  opinion  which  was  undermin 
ing  the  insurrection  would  only  be  precipitated  by  any 
violence  toward  the  government  party.  Many  of  the 
men  would  not  hear  reason,  however,  and  his  attitude 
on  this  point  produced  angry  murmurs.  The  men 
called  up  his  failure  to  whip  the  silk-stockings  in  Sep 
tember,  his  care  for  Squire  Edwards's  interests,  and 
his  veto  of  the  plan  for  fixing  prices  on  the  goods  at 
the  store.  It  was  declared  that  he  was  lukewarm  to 
the  cause,  no  better  than  a  silk-stocking  himself,  and 
that  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  had  Hubbard 
for  captain.  Even  Abner  Rathbun,  as  well  as  Me- 
shech  Little,  joined  in  this  schism,  which  ended  in  the 
desertion  of  the  most  of  the  members  of  the  company 
Perez  had  organized,  to  join  Hubbard  up  at  the  iron 
works. 

About  the  same  time,  Israel  Goodrich  withdrew 
from  the  committee  of  safety.  He  told  Perez  he  was 
sorry  to  leave  him,  but  the  jig  was  plainly  up,  and 
he  had  his  family  to  consider.  If  his  farm  was  confis 
cated,  they  would  have  to  go  on  the  town.  "Arter 
all,  Perez,  we've  made  some  thin'  by  it.  I  hain't  sorry 
I  gone  inter  it.  Them  new  laws  '11  be  somethin'  of  a 
lift;  an'  harf  a  loaf  be  considabul  better  than  no 
bread."  He  advised  Perez  to  get  out  of  the  business 
as  quickly  aspossible.  "  'T  ain't  no  use  kickin'  ag'in 
20 


306  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

the  pricks,"  he  said.  Ezra,  who  was  disgusted  at  the 
failure  of  the  legislature  to  print  more  bills,  stuck 
a  while  longer,  and  then  he  too  withdrew.  Peleg  Bid- 
well  and  other  men,  who  had  families  or  a  little  proper 
ty  at  stake,  rapidly  dropped  off.  They  owed  it  to  their 
wives  and  children  not  to  get  into  trouble,  they  said. 

Perez  could  not  blame  them.  And  so  day  by  day, 
all  through  the  month  of  January,  he  saw  his  power 
melting  away  by  a  process  as  silent,  irresistible  and 
inevitable  as  the  dissolving  of  a  snow-bank  in  spring; 
and  he  knew  that  if  he  lingered  much  longer  in  the 
village,  the  constable  would  come  some  morning  and 
drag  him  ignominiously  away  to  the  lock-up.  It  was 
a  desperate  position,  and  yet  he  was  foolishly,  wildly 
happy.  Desire  was  not  indifferent  to  him.  That  awk 
ward  meeting  in  the  store,  those  moments  of  silent 
handclasp,  with  her  eyes  looking  with  such  frank  con 
fession  into  his,  had  told  him  that  the  sole  end  and 
object  of  his  strange  role  here  in  Stockbridge  was 
gained.  She  loved  him.  Little  indeed  would  he  have 
recked  that  the  role  was  now  at  an  end ;  little  would 
he  have  cared  to  linger  an  hour  longer  on  this  scene  of 
his  former  fantastic  fortunes,  if  only  he  could  have 
borne  her  with  him  on  his  flight.  How  gayly  he  would 
have  laughed  at  his  enemies  then.  If  he  could  but  see 
her  now,  could  but  plead  with  her.  Perhaps  he  might 
persuade  her. 

But  he  could  contrive  no  opportunity.  Even  as 
far  back  as  December,  as  soon  as  the  rebellion  began 
evidently  to  wane,  Edwards  had  begun  to  turn  the 
cold  shoulder  to  him  on  his  visits  to  the  store.  He  had 
put  up  with  insults  which  had  made  his  cheek  burn, 
merely  because  at  the  store  was  his  only  chance  of  see 
ing  Desire.  But  Edwards 's  tone  to  him  after  that 


Snowbound  307 

meeting-  with  her  had  been  such  that  he  knew  it  was 
only  by  violence  that  he  could  again  force  an  entrance 
over  the  storekeeper's  threshold.  The  fact  was,  Ed 
wards,  now  that  the  danger  was  over,  blamed  himself 
for  an  unnecessary  subservience  to  the  insurgent 
leader,  and  his  mortified  pride  expressed  itself  in  a 
special  virulence  toward  him.  There  was  then  no 
chance  of  seeing  Desire.  She  loved  him,  but  he  must 
fly  and  leave  her.  One  moment  he  said  to  himself  that 
he  was  the  happiest  of  men.  In  the  next  he  cursed 
himself  as  the  most  wretched.  And  so  alternately 
smiling  and  cursing,  he  wandered  about  the  village 
during  those  last  days  of  January  like  one  daft,  too 
much  absorbed  in  the  inward  struggle  to  be  more  than 
half  conscious  of  his  danger. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 
The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge 

ONE  day,  three  days  before  the  end  of  January,  as 
Perez,  returning  from  a  walk,  approached  the  guard 
house,  he  saw  that  it  was  in  possession  of  Deputy 
Sheriff  Seymour  and  a  posse.  The  rebel  garrison  of 
three  or  four  men  only,  having  made  no  resistance, 
had  been  disarmed  and  allowed  to  go.  Perez  turned 
on  his  heel  and  went  home.  That  same  afternoon, 
about  three  o'clock,  as  he  was  sitting  in  the  house,  his 
brother  Reuben,  who  had  been  on  the  watch,  came  in 
and  said  that  a  party  of  militia  were  approaching. 

"I've  saddled  your  horse,  Perez,  and  hitched  him  to 
the  fence.  You've  got  a  good  start,  but  it  won't  do 
to  wait  a  minute."  Then  Perez  rose  up,  bade  his 
father  and  mother  and  brother  good-by,  and  went  out 
and  mounted  his  horse.  The  militia  were  visible  de 
scending  the  hill  at  the  north  of  the  village,  several 
furlongs  distant.  Perez  turned  his  horse  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  galloped  down  to  the  green.  He  rode 
up  in  front  of  the  store,  flung  himself  from  his  horse, 
ran  up  the  steps,  and  went  in.  Doctor  Partridge  was 
in  the  store  talking  to  Edwards,  and  Jonathan  was  also 
there.  As  Perez  burst  in,  pale,  excited,  yet  deter 
mined,  the  two  gentlemen  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
Jonathan  edged  toward  a  gun  that  stood  in  the  corner. 
Edwards,  as  if  apprehending  his  visitor's  purpose, 
stepped  between  him  and  the  door  of  the  living-rooms. 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     309 

But  Perez's  air  was  beseeching,  not  threatening,  almost 
abject,  indeed. 

"I  am  flying  from  the  town,"  he  said.  "The  hue 
and  cry  is  out  after  me.  I  beg  you  to  let  me  have  a 
moment's  speech  with  Miss  Desire." 

"  You  impudent  rascal !  "  cried  Edwards.  "  What  do 
you  mean  by  this?  If  you  do  not  instantly  go,  I  will 
arrest  you  myself.  See  my  daughter,  forsooth !  Get 
out  of  here,  fellow !  "  And  he  made  a  threatening  step 
forward,  and  then  fell  back  again,  for  though  Perez's 
attitude  of  appeal  was  unchanged,  he  looked  terribly 
excited  and  pertinacious. 

"Only  a  word,"  he  cried,  his  pleading  eyes  fixed  on 
the  storekeeper's  angry  face.  "A  sight  of  her,  that's 
all  I  ask,  sir.  You  shall  stand  between  us.  Do  you 
think  I  would  harm  her?  Think,  sir,  I  did  not  treat 
you  ill  when  I  was  master.  I  did  not  deny  you  what 
you  asked." 

There  was  something  more  terrifying  in  the  almost 
whining  appeal  of  Perez's  voice  than  the  most  violent 
threat  could  be,  so  intense  was  the  repressed  emotion 
it  indicated.  But  as  Ed  wards 's  forbidding  and  angry 
countenance  plainly  indicated  that  his  words  were  hav 
ing  no  effect,  this  accent  of  abjectness  suddenly  broke 
off  in  a  tremendous  cry : 

"  Great  God,  I  must  see  her!  " 

Edwards  was  plainly  very  much  frightened,  but  he 
did  not  yield. 

"You  shall  not,"  he  replied  between  his  teeth. 
"  Jonathan !  Doctor  Partridge !  will  you  see  him  mur 
der  me? " 

Jonathan,  gun  in  hand,  pluckily  rallied  behind  his 
father,  while  the  doctor  laid  his  hand  soothingly  on 
Perez's  shoulder,  who  did  not  notice  him.  But  at  that 


310  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

moment  the  door  into  the  living-rooms  was  flung  open, 
and  Desire  and  her  mother  came  in.  The  loud  voices 
had  evidently  attracted  their  attention  and  excited 
their  apprehensions,  but  from  the  start  which  Desire 
gave  as  she  saw  Perez  it  was  evident  she  had  not 
guessed  he  was  there.  At  sight  of  her,  his  tense  at 
titude  and  expression  instantly  softened,  and  it  was 
plain  that  he  no  longer  saw  or  took  account  of  any  one 
in  the  room  but  the  girl. 

"  Desire,"  he  said,  "  I  came  to  see  you.  The  militia 
are  out  after  me  at  last,  and  I  am  flying  for  my  life.  I 
couldn't  go  without  seeing  you  again." 

Without  giving  Desire  a  chance  to  reply,  which  in 
deed  she  was  much  too  confused  and  embarrassed  to 
do,  her  mother  interposed. 

"Mr.  Edwards,"  she  exclaimed  indignantly,  "can't 
you  put  the  fellow  out?  I'm  sure  you'll  help,  doctor. 
This  is  an  outrage.  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing. 
Are  we  not  safe  in  our  own  house  from  this  impudent 
loafer? "  Perez  had  not  minded  the  men,  but  even  in 
his  desperation  Mrs.  Edwards  somewhat  intimidated 
him,  and  he  fell  back  a  step,  and  his  eye  became  un 
steady.  Doctor  Partridge  walked  to  the  window, 
looked  out,  and  then  turning  around,  said  coolly : 

"  I  suppose  it  is  our  duty  to  arrest  you,  Hamlin,  and 
hand  you  over  to  the  militia,  but  hang  me  if  I  wish  you 
any  harm.  The  militia  are  just  turning  into  the  green, 
and  if  you  expect  to  get  away,  you  have  not  a  second 
to  lose." 

"  Run !  Run !  "  cried  Desire,  speaking  for  the  first 
time. 

Perez  glanced  out  at  the  window  and  saw  his  pur 
suers  not  ten  rods  off. 

"I  will  go,"  he  said,  looking  at  Desire.     "I  will  es- 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge      3 1 1 

cape,  since  you  tell  me  to,  but  I  will  come  again  some 
day ! "  And  opening  the  door  and  rushing  out,  he  leaped 
on  his  horse  and  galloped  away  on  the  road  to  Lee,  the 
baffled  militiamen  satisfying  themselves  with  yelling 
and  firing  one  or  two  vain  shots  after  him. 

Squire  Sedgwick,  aware  that  in  the  ticklish  state  of 
public  opinion  the  government  party  could  not  afford  to 
provide  the  malcontents  with  any  martyrs,  had  post 
poned  the  attempt  to  arrest  Perez  until  affairs  were  fully 
ripe  for  it.  The  militia  company  of  Captain  Stoddard. 
had  been  quietly  reorganized,  so  that  on  the  very  night 
of  Perez's  flight  patrols  were  established  and  a  regular 
military  occupation  of  the  town  began.  The  larger 
part  of  the  old  company  having  gone  over  to  the  insur 
gents,  the  depleted  ranks  had  been  filled  out  by  the 
enlistment  as  privates  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  village. 
The  two  Dwights,  Doctors  Sergeant  and  Partridge, 
Deacons  Nash  and  Edwards,  and  many  other  silk- 
stockinged  magnates  carried  muskets,  and  a  dozen 
others  besides  had  organized  themselves  into  a  party 
of  cavalry,  with  Sedgwick  himself  as  captain.  Even 
then,  the  difficulty  in  finding  men  enough  to  fill  out 
the  company  was  so  great  that  lads  of  sixteen  and 
seventeen,  of  the  well-to-do  families,  were  placed  in  line 
with  the  gray  fathers  of  the  settlement.  There  was 
need,  indeed,  of  every  musket  that  could  be  mustered, 
for  up  at  West  Stockbridge,  only  an  hour's  march  away, 
Paul  Hubbard  had  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  about  him, 
from  whom  a  raid  might  at  any  moment  be  expected. 

But  the  village  was  now  to  become  the  center  of 
military  operations,  not  only  for  its  own  protection, 
but  for  that  of  the  surrounding  country.  Hampshire 
county,  as  well  as  the  eastern  counties,  had  been  called 
on  for  quotas  to  swell  General  Lincoln's  army,  but  upon 


312  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

Berkshire  no  requisition  had  been  made.  The  peculiar 
reputation  of  that  county  for  an  independent  and  in 
subordinate  temper  afforded  little  reason  to  hope  that 
such  a  requisition  would  be  regarded  if  made.  And, 
indeed,  the  county  promptly  showed  itself  quite  equal 
to  the  independent  role  which  the  Governor's  course 
conceded  to  it.  An  effective  plan  for  the  suppression 
of  the  rebellion  in  the  county  had  been  concerted  be 
tween  Sedgwick  and  the  leading  men  of  the  other 
towns.  It  had  been  agreed  upon  to  raise  five  hundred 
men,  and  concentrate  them  at  Stockbridge,  using  that 
town  as  a  base  of  operations  against  the  rebel  bands  in 
southern  Berkshire.  Captain  Stoddard's  company  had 
scarcely  taken  military  possession  of  Stockbridge,  when 
it  was  reinforced  by  companies  from  Pittsfield,  Great 
Barrington,  Sheffield,  Lanesboro,  Lee,  and  Lenox.  It 
was  under  escort  of  the  Pittsfield  company  that  Jahleel 
Woodbridge  returned  to  the  town,  after  an  absence  of 
nearly  four  months.  General  Patterson,  one  of  the 
major-generals  of  militia  in  the  county,  and  an  officer 
of  Revolutionary  service,  assumed  command  of  the  bat 
talion,  and  promptly  gave  it  something  to  do. 

Far  from  appearing  daunted  by  the  presence  of  so 
large  a  body  of  militia,  Hubbard's  force  at  the  iron 
works  had  increased  to  two  hundred  men,  who  boldly 
threatened  to  come  down  and  clean  out  Patterson's 
"tories,"  a  feat  to  which,  if  joined  by  some  of  the 
smaller  insurgent  bands  in  the  neighborhood,  they 
might  ere  long  be  equal.  For  this  Patterson  wisely 
decided  not  to  wait.  And  so  at  noon  of  one  of  the  first 
days  of  February,  about  three  hundred  of  the  govern 
ment  troops,  with  half  a  dozen  rounds  of  cartridges  to 
each  man,  set  out  to  attack  Hubbard's  camp. 

There  had  been  tearful  farewells  in  the  gentlemen's 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     3 1 3 

households  that  morning.  The  greater  number  had 
sent  forth  father  and  sons  together  to  the  fray,  and 
some  families  there  were  which  had  three  generations 
in  the  ranks.  For  this  was  the  gentility's  war.  The 
mass  of  the  people  held  sullenly  aloof  and  left  them  to 
fight  it  out.  It  was  all  that  could  be  expected  of  them 
selves  if  they  did  not  actively  join  the  other  side.  There 
were  more  friends  of  theirs  with  Hubbard  than  with 
Patterson,  and  the  temper  in  which  they  viewed  the 
preparations  to  march  against  the  rebels  was  so  unmis 
takably  ugly  that  as  a  protection  to  the  families  and 
property  in  the  village  one  company  had  to  be  left  be 
hind  in  Stockbridge.  It  was  a  muggy,  overcast  day,  a 
bad  day  to  give  men  stomach  for  fighting ;  drum  and 
fife  were  silent  that  the  enemy  might  have  no  unneces 
sary  warning  of  their  coming;  and  so,  with  an  ill- wish 
ing  community  behind  their  backs  and  the  foe  in  front, 
the  troops  set  out  from  home  under  very  depressing 
conditions.  And  as  they  went,  mothers  and  daughters 
and  wives  climbed  to  upper  windows  and  looked  out 
toward  the  western  mountain,  up  whose  face  the  col 
umn  stretched,  straining  their  ears  for  the  sound  of 
shots  with  a  more  quaking  apprehension  than  if  their 
own  bosoms  had  been  the  marks.  It  is  bad  enough 
to  send  friends  to  far-off  wars,  sad  enough  waiting  for 
the  slow  tidings,  but  there  is  something  yet  more  poig 
nant  in  seeing  loved  ones  go  out  to  battle  almost  within 
sight  of  home. 

The  word  was  that  Hubbard  was  encamped  at  a 
point  where  the  road  running  directly  west  over  the 
mountain  to  West  Stockbridge  met  two  other  roads 
coming  in  from  northerly  and  southerly  directions. 
Accordingly,  in  the  hope  of  catching  the  insurgents  in 
a  trap,  the  government  force  was  divided  into  three 


314  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

companies.  One  pushed  straight  tip  the  mountain  by 
the  direct  road,  while  the  others  made  respectively  a 
northern  and  a  southern  detour  around  the  mountain, 
intending  to  strike  the  other  two  roads  and  thus  come 
in  on  Hubbard's  flanks  while  he  was  engaged  in  front. 
The  center  company  did  not  set  out  until  a  little  after 
the  other  two,  so  as  to  give  them  a  start.  When  it 
finally  began  to  climb  the  mountain,  Sedgwickwith  his 
cavalry  rode  ahead.  A  few  rods  behind  them  came  a 
score  or  two  of  infantry  as  a  sort  of  advance  guard, 
the  rest  of  the  company  being  some  distance  in  the 
rear.  The  riders  in  that  little  party  of  horsemen  had 
nearly  all  seen  service  in  the  Revolution  and  knew 
what  fighting  meant,  but  that  was  a  war  against  their 
country's  foes,  invaders  from  over  the  sea,  not  like 
this,  against  their  neighbors.  They  had  little  taste  for 
the  job  before  them,  resolute  as  they  were  to  perform 
it  and  to  stamp  out  the  mutiny  against  their  class. 

Suddenly  a  man  stepped  out  from  the  woods  into  the 
road,  and  firing  his  musket  at  them  turned  and  ran. 
Thinking  to  capture  him  the  riders  spurred  their 
horses  forward  at  a  gallop.  Other  shots  were  fired 
around  them,  indicating  clearly  that  they  had  come 
upon  the  picket  line  of  the  enemy.  There  was  a  turn 
in  the  road  a  short  distance  ahead.  As  they  dashed 
around  it,  now  close  behind  the  flying  man,  they  found 
themselves  in  the  clearing  at  the  crossing  of  the  roads. 
Why  did  they  rein  in  their  plunging  steeds  so  sud 
denly?  Well  they  might!  Not  six  rods  off  the  entire 
rebel  line  of  two  hundred  men  was  drawn  up.  They 
heard  Hubbard  give  the  order,  "Present!"  and  the 
muskets  of  the  men  rose  to  their  cheeks. 

"  We're  dead  men.  God  help  my  wife!  "  cried  Colonel 
Elijah  Williams,  who  rode  at  Sedgwick's  side.  Ad- 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     315 

vance  or  retreat  was  alike  impossible,  and  the  forth 
coming  volley  could  not  fail  to  annihilate  them. 

"Leave  it  to  me,"  said  Sedgwick,  quietly,  and  the 
next  instant  he  galloped  quite  alone  toward  the  line 
of  leveled  guns.  Seeing  but  one  man  coming  the  re 
bels  withheld  their  fire.  Reining  up  his  horse  within 
a  yard  of  the  muzzles  of  the  guns,  he  said  in  a  loud, 
clear,  authoritative  voice: 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  men?  Laban  Jones,  Ab- 
ner  Rathbun,  Meshech  Little,  do  you  want  to  hang  for 
murder?  Throw  down  your  arms.  You're  surrounded 
on  three  sides.  You  can't  escape.  Throw  down  your 
arms,  and  I'll  see  you're  not  harmed.  Throw  away 
your  guns.  If  one  of  them  should  go  off  by  accident 
in  your  hands,  you  couldn't  be  saved  from  the  gal 
lows.  " 

His  air,  evincing  not  the  slightest  perturbation  or 
anxiety  on  his  own  part,  but  only  a  concern  for  their 
peril,  startled  and  broke  their  nerve.  His  evident  con 
viction  that  there  was  more  danger  at  their  end  of  the 
guns  than  at  his  impressed  them.  They  lowered  their 
muskets,  some  threw  them  down.  The  line  wavered. 

"He  lies!  Shoot  him!  Fire!  Damn  you,  fire!" 
shouted  Hubbard  as  he  saw  the  panic  begin. 

"  The  first  man  that  fires  hangs  for  murder !  "  thun 
dered  Sedgwick.  "  Throw  down  your  arms  and  you 
shall  not  be  harmed. " 

"  Kin  yew  say  that  for  sartin,  squire?  "  asked  Laban, 
hesitatingly. 

"  No,  he  lies!  Our  only  chance  is  to  fight!  "  yelled 
Hubbard,  frantically.  "Shoot  him,  I  tell  you." 

But  at  this  critical  moment,  when  the  result  of  Sedg 
wick' s  daring  experiment  was  still  in  doubt,  the  issue 
was  determined  by  the  appearance  of  the  laggard  in- 


316  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

fantry  at  the  mouth  of  the  Stockbridge  road,  while 
simultaneously  shots  resounding  from  the  north  and 
south  showed  that  the  flanking  companies  were  clos 
ing  in. 

"We're  surrounded!  Run  for  your  lives!"  was 
shouted  on  every  side,  and  the  line  broke  in  confusion. 

"  Arrest  that  man ! "  said  Sedgwick,  pointing  to 
Hubbard,  and  instantly  Laban  Jones  and  others  of  his 
former  followers  had  seized  him.  Many,  throwing 
down  their  arms,  thronged  around  Sedgwick  as  if  for 
protection,  while  the  rest  fled  in  confusion,  plunging 
into  the  woods  to  avoid  the  troops  who  were  now  ad 
vancing  in  plain  sight  on  all  three  roads.  A  few  scat 
tered  shots  were  exchanged  between  the  fugitives  and 
the  militia,  and  the  almost  bloodless  conflict  was  over. 

"  Who  would  have  thought  they  were  such  a  set  of 
cowards?  "  said  a  young  militia  officer,  contemptuously. 

"They  are  not  cowards,"  replied  Sedgwick  reprov 
ingly.  "  They  are  the  same  men  who  fought  at  Ben- 
nington,  but  it  takes  away  their  courage  to  feel  that  they 
are  arrayed  against  their  own  neighbors  and  the  law  of 
the  land. " 

"  You'd  have  had  your  stomach  full  of  fighting, 
young  man,"  added  Colonel  Williams,  "if  Squire  Sedg 
wick  had  not  taken  them  just  as  he  did.  Squire,"  he 
added,  "my  wife  shall  thank  you  that  she's  not  a 
widow  when  we  get  back  to  Stockbridge.  I  honor 
your  courage,  sir.  The  credit  of  this  day  is  yours." 

Those  standing  around  joining  heartily  in  this  trib 
ute,  Sedgwick  replied  quietly : 

"  You  magnify  the  matter  overmuch,  gentlemen.  I 
knew  the  men  I  was  dealing  with.  If  I  could  get  near 
enough  to  fix  them  with  my  eye  before  they  began  to 
shoot,  I  knew  it  would  be  easy  to  turn  their  minds." 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     317 

The  re-entry  of  the  militia  into  Stockbridge  was 
made  with  screaming  fifes  and  resounding  drums, 
while  nearly  one  hundred  prisoners  graced  the  triumph 
of  the  victors.  The  poor  fellows  looked  glum  enough, 
as  they  had  reason  to  do.  They  had  scorned  the  clem 
ency  of  the  government  and  been  taken  with  arms  in 
their  hands.  Imprisonment  and  stripes  was  the  least 
they  could  expect,  while  the  leaders  were  in  imminent 
danger  of  the  gallows.  But  considerations  other  than 
those  of  strict  justice  according  to  law  determined  their 
fate,  and  made  their  suspense  of  short  duration.  It 
was  well  enough  to  use  threats  to  intimidate  rebels, 
but  in  an  insurrection  with  which  so  large  a  proportion 
of  the  people  sympathized  partly  or  fully,  severity  to 
the  conquered  would  have  been  a  fatal  policy.  As 
a  merely  practical  point,  moreover,  there  was  not  jail 
room  in  Stockbridge  for  the  prisoners.  They  must  be 
either  killed  forthwith  or  set  free.  The  upshot  of  it 
was  that,  excepting  Hubbard  and  two  or  three  more, 
they  were  offered  release  that  very  afternoon,  upon 
taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State.  The  poor 
fellows  eagerly  accepted  the  terms.  A  line  of  them 
being  formed,  they  passed  one  by  one  before  Justice 
Woodbridge,  with  uplifted  hand  took  the  oath,  and  slunk 
away  home,  free  men,  but  very  much  crestfallen.  As 
if  to  add  a  climax  to  the  exultation  of  the  government 
party,  news  was  received  during  the  evening  of  the 
rout  of  the  rebels  under  Shays  at  Springfield,  in  their 
attack  on  the  militia  defending  the  arsenal  there,  the 
last  day  of  January. 

Now,  it  must  be  understood  that  not  alone  in  Cap 
tain  Stoddard's  Stockbridge  company  had  the  mem 
bers  of  the  well-to-do  classes  filled  up  the  places  of 
the  disaffected  farmers  in  the  ranks,  but  such  was 


3i 8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

equally  the  case  with  the  companies  which  had  come 
in  from  the  other  towns,  the  consequence  of  which 
was  that  the  present  muster  represented  the  wealth, 
the  culture,  and  the  aristocracy  of  all  Berkshire.  There 
are  far  more  people  in  Berkshire  now  than  then,  and 
there  is  far  more  aggregate  wealth  and  culture;  but 
with  the  decay  of  the  aristocratic  form  of  society  which 
prevailed  in  the  day  of  which  I  write,  passed  away  the 
elements  of  such  a  gathering  as  this,  which  stands 
unique  in  the  social  history  of  Stockbridge.  The  fam 
ilies  of  the  county  gentry  here  represented,  though 
generally  living  at  a  day  or  two's  journey  apart,  were 
more  intimate  with  each  other  than  with  the  farmer 
folk,  directly  surrounded  by  whom  they  lived.  They 
met  now  like  members  of  one  family,  the  sense  of 
unity  heightened  by  the  present  necessity  of  defending 
the  interests  of  their  order,  sword  in  hand,  against  the 
rabble.  The  families  of  gentlefolk  in  Stockbridge  had 
opened  wide  their  doors  to  these  gallant  and  genial 
defenders,  whose  presence  in  their  households,  far  from 
being  regarded  as  a  burden  required  by  the  public 
necessity,  was  rather  a  social  treat  of  rare  and  welcome 
character;  and,  unless  tradition  deceives,  more  than 
one  happy  match  was  the  issue  of  the  intimacies  formed 
between  the  fair  daughters  of  Stockbridge  and  the 
knights  who  had  come  to  their  rescue. 

Previous  to  the  conflict  at  West  Stockbridge  and  the 
news  of  the  battle  at  Springfield,  the  seriousness  of  the 
situation  availed  indeed  to  put  some  check  upon  the 
spirits  of  the  young  people.  But  no  sooner  had  it  be 
come  apparent  that  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion 
was  not  likely  to  involve  serious  bloodshed,  than  there 
was  a  general  ebullition  of  fun  and  amusement  such  as 
might  be  expected  from  the  collection  of  a  band  of 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     3 1 9 

spirited  youths.  Besides  the  round  of  decorous  teas 
and  indoor  entertainments,  gay  sleighing  parties  out 
to  the  "  scene  of  battle  "  at  West  Stockbridge,  as  it  was 
jokingly  called,  were  of  daily  occurrence,  and  every 
evening  Lake  Mahkeenac's  shining  face  was  covered 
with  bands  of  merry  skaters,  and  screaming,  laughing 
sledge-loads  of  youths  and  damsels  went  whizzing  down 
Long  Hill,  to  the  no  small  jeopardy  of  their  own  lives 
and  limbs,  to  say  nothing  of  such  luckless  wayfarers  as 
might  be  in  their  path.  To  provide  partners  for  so 
many  gentlemen  the  cradle  was  almost  robbed,  and 
many  a  farmer's  daughter  of  Shayite  proclivities  found 
herself,  not  unwillingly,  conscripted  to  supply  the 
dearth  of  gentlefolk's  daughters,  and  provided  with  an 
opportunity  for  contrasting  the  merits  of  silk-stock 
inged  and  worsted- stockinged  adorers,  an  experience 
possibly  not  favorable  to  their  after  contentment  in 
the  station  to  which  Providence  had  called  them. 

But  even  with  these  conscripts  there  was  still  such 
an  excess  of  beaux  that  every  girl  had  half  a  dozen. 
As  for  Desire  Edwards,  she  captivated  the  whole  army. 
If  I  have  hitherto  spoken  of  her  in  a  manner  as  if  she 
were  the  only  "  young  lady  "  in  Stockbridge,  that  is  no 
more  than  the  impression  which  she  gave.  Although 
there  were  several  families  in  the  village  which  had  a 
claim  to  equal  gentility,  their  daughters  felt,  when  in 
Desire's  presence,  a  certain  question  as  to  their  ability 
to  make  good  that  claim.  They  acknowledged,  though 
they  found  less  flattering  terms  in  which  to  express  it, 
the  same  air  of  distinction  and  dainty  aloofness  about 
her,  which  the  farmers'  daughters,  too  humble  for  ieal- 
ousy,  so  admiringly  admitted.  The  young  militia  of 
ficers  and  gentlemen  privates  found  her  adorable,  and 
the  three  or  four  young  men  whom  Squire  Edwards 


320  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

took  into  his  house,  as  his  share  in  quartering  the  troops, 
were  the  objects  of  the  most  rancorous  envy  of  the  en 
tire  army.  These  favored  youths  had  too  much  appre 
ciation  of  their  good  fortune  to  be  absent  from  their 
quarters  save  when  military  duty  required,  and  what 
with  the  obligation  of  entertaining  and  being  enter 
tained  by  them,  and  keeping  in  play  the  numerous  call 
ers  who  dropped  in  from  other  quarters  in  the  evening, 
Desire  had  very  little  time  to  herself.  It  was,  of  course, 
very  exciting  for  her,  and  very  agreeable  to  be  the  sole 
queen  of  so  gallant  and  devoted  a  court.  She  enjoyed 
it  as  any  sprightly,  beautiful  girl  fond  of  society  and 
well  nigh  starved  for  it  might  be  expected  to.  Pro 
vided  here  so  unexpectedly  in  remote  winter-bound 
Stockbridge,  it  was  like  a  table  spread  in  the  wilder 
ness,  whereof  the  Psalmist  speaks. 

And  in  this  whirl  of  gayety,  did  she  quite  forget 
Perez,  did  she  so  soon  forget  the  secret  flame  she  had 
cherished  for  the  Shayite  captain?  Be  sure  she  had 
not  forgotten,  but  how  gladly  would  she  have  done  so, 
had  it  been  possible. 

After  the  conventual  seclusion  and  mental  vacancy 
of  the  preceding  months,  the  sudden  change  in  her 
surroundings  had  been  like  a  burst  of  air  and  sunlight 
dissipating  the  soporific  atmosphere  of  a  sleeping- 
room.  It  had  brought  back  her  thoughts  and  feelings 
all  at  once  to  their  normal  standards,  making  her  recol 
lection  of  that  infatuation  seem  like  a  grotesque,  fan 
tastic  dream;  whimsical,  impossible,  yet  shamefully 
real.  Every  time  she  entered  her  chamber,  and  her 
eye  caught  sight  of  the  little  hole  in  the  curtain 
whence  she  had  spied  upon  Perez,  shame  and  self-con 
tempt  overcame  her  like  a  flood.  How  could  she,  how 
ever  could  she  have  done  such  a  thing?  What  would 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     321 

the  obsequious,  admiring  gallants  she  had  left  in  her 
parlor  say  if  they  but  knew  of  what  that  little  pin-hole 
in  her  curtain  reminded  her?  She  could  not  believe  it 
possible  herself  that  the  girl  whose  fine-cut,  haughty 
beauty  confronted  her  gaze  from  the  mirror  could  have 
so  lost  her  self-respect,  could  have  actually— oh!  and 
tears  of  self-despite  would  rush  into  her  eyes  as  her 
remorseless  memory  set  before  her  those  scenes.  And 
had  she  been  utterly  beside  herself  that  day  in  the 
store,  when  she  gave  him  that  look  and  that  hand 
clasp?  But  for  that,  the  only  fruit  of  her  folly  would 
have  been  the  loss  of  her  own  self-respect,  but  now  she 
was  guilty  toward  him.  This  wretched  business  was 
dead  earnest  to  him,  if  not  to  her.  With  what  a  pang 
of  self-contemptuous  reproach  she  recalled  his  white, 
anguished  face  as  he  rushed  into  the  store  to  bid  her 
farewell  when  the  soldiers  were  coming  to  take  him. 
If  he  at  first,  by  his  persecution  of  her,  had  left  her 
with  a  right  to  complain,  she  had  given  him  a  right  to 
that  farewell  by  her  own  glance.  She  writhed  as  she 
admitted  to  herself  that  thus  she  had  given  him  a  sort 
of  claim  on  her. 

The  village  gossip  about  Perez's  infatuation  for  her, 
although  of  her  own  weakness  none  guessed,  had  nat 
urally  come  to  the  ears  of  the  visitors,  and  some  of 
the  young  men  at  Edwards 's  good-naturedly  chaffed 
her  about  it,  speaking  of  it  as  an  amusing  joke.  She 
had  to  bear  this  without  wincing,  and,  worse  still,  she 
had  to  play  the  hypocrite  so  far  as  to  reply  in  the  same 
jesting  tone,  joining  in  turning  the  laugh  on  the  poor, 
threadbare  mob  captain,  when  she  knew  in  her  heart 
it  ought  to  be  turned  against  her. 

There  was  nothing  else  she  could  do,  of  course.  She 
could  not  confess  to  these  gay,  bantering,  young  gen- 

21 


322  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

tlemen  the  incredible  weakness  of  which  she  had  been 
guilty.  But  if  the  self-contempt  of  the  doer  can 
avenge  a  wrong  done  to  another,  Perez  was  amply 
avenged  for  this.  And  the  worst  of  it  was  that  the 
thought  that  she  had  wronged  him  here  also,  and  had 
meanly  taken  advantage  of  him,  added  to  that  terrible 
sense  of  his  claim  on  her.  He  began  to  occupy  her 
mind  to  a  morbid  and  painful  extent.  His  sad  and 
shabby  figure,  with  its  mutely  reproachful  face,  haunted 
her.  All  that  might  have  been  to  his  disadvantage, 
compared  with  the  refined  and  cultivated  circle  about 
her,  was  overcome  by  the  pathos  and  dignity  with  which 
her  sense  of  having  done  him  wrong  invested  him. 
Such  was  her  unenviable  state  of  mind  when,  one  even 
ing,  a  week  or  ten  days  after  the  affair  at  West  Stock- 
bridge,  one  of  the  young  men  at  the  house  said  to  her, 

"  May  I  hope,  Miss  Edwards,  not  to  be  wholly 
forgotten  if  I  should  fall  on  the  gory  field  to-morrow?" 

*'  What  do  you  mean? "  she  asked. 

"  What,  didn't  you  know?  General  Patterson  is  fear 
ful  the  Capuan  delights  of  Stockbridge  will  sap  our  mar 
tial  vigor,  and  is  going  to  lead  us  against  the  foe  in  his 
lair  at  dawn  to-morrow." 

"  Where  is  his  lair  this  time? "  asked  Desire,  care 
lessly. 

"  We've  heard  that  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  ras 
cals  have  collected  out  here  at  Lee  to  stop  a  petty 
court,  and  we're  going  to  capture  them." 

"  By  the  way,  too,  Miss  Edwards,"  broke  in  another, 
"your  admirer,  Hamlin,  is  at  the  head  of  them,  and 
I've  no  doubt  his  real  design  is  to  make  a  dash  on 
Stockbridge,  and  carry  you  off  from  the  midst  of  your 
faithful  knights.  He'll  have  a  chance  to  repent  of  his 
presumption  to-morrow.  Squire  Woodbridge  told  me 


The  Battle  of  West  Stockbridge     323 

this  afternoon  that  if  he  does  not  have  him  triced  up  to 
the  whipping-post  in  two  hours  after  we  bring"  him  in, 
it  will  be  because  he  is  no  justice  of  the  quorum.  It's 
plain  the  Squire  has  no  liking  for  the  fellow." 

"  I  hope  there'll  be  a  little  more  fun  this  time  than 
there  was  last  week.  I'm  sick  of  these  battles  without 
any  fighting,"  doughtily  remarked  a  very  young  man. 

"I'm  afraid  your  bloodthirstiness  won't  be  gratified 
this  time,"  answered  the  first  speaker.  "The  general 
means  to  surprise  them  and  take  every  man- jack  of 
them  prisoners  before  they're  fairly  waked  up.  We 
shall  be  back  to  breakfast  to  receive  your  congratula 
tions,  Miss  Edwards." 

But  Miss  Edwards  had  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
A  Game  of  Bluff 

HAD  Perez  Hamlin  been  her  sweetheart,  her  brother, 
her  dearest  friend,  the  announcement  that  he  was  to  be 
captured  and  brought  to  Stockbridge  for  punishment 
would  not  have  come  upon  her  with  a  greater  effect 
of  consternation.  After  hearing  that  news  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  her  to  retain  her  composure 
sufficiently  to  avoid  remark  had  she  remained  in  the 
parlor.  But  there  were  other  reasons  why  she  had 
fled  to  the  seclusion  of  her  chamber.  It  was  neces 
sary  that  she  should  think  of  some  plan  to  evade  the 
humiliation  of  being  confronted  by  him,  of  being  re 
minded  by  his  presence,  by  his  looks,  and  maybe  his 
words  even,  of  the  weak  folly  of  which  she  was  so 
cruelly  ashamed,  and  which  she  was  trying  to  forget. 
Desperately,  she  resolved  to  make  some  excuse  to  fly 
to  Pittsfield,  to  be  away  from  home  when  Perez  was 
brought  in.  But  no,  she  could  think  of  no  excuse, 
not  even  the  wildest  pretence,  for  thus  precipitately 
leaving  a  house  full  of  guests,  and  taking  a  journey  by 
dangerous  roads  to  make  an  uninvited  visit.  Perez 
must  be  warned,  he  must  escape,  he  must  not  be  cap 
tured.  Thus  only  could  she  see  any  way  to  evade 
meeting  him.  But  how  could  word  be  got  to  him? 
They  marched  at  dawn.  There  were  but  a  few  hours. 
There  was  his  family.  Surely,  if  they  were  warned 
they  would  find  a  way  of  communicating  with  him. 


A  Game  of  Bluff 


32S 


She  had  heard  that  he  had  a  brother.  Whatever  she 
did  she  must  do  quickly,  before  she  was  missed  from 
the  parlor  and  her  mother  came  to  her  door  to  ask  if 
she  were  ill.  There  was  no  time  to  change  her  dress, 
or  even  her  shoes.  Throwing  a  large  shawl  over  her 
head,  which  quite  concealed  her  figure,  she  noiselessly 
made  her  way  downstairs,  and  out  into  the  snowy 
street,  passing,  as  she  went,  close  under  the  lighted 
windows  of  the  parlor,  whence  came  the  sound  of  the 
voices  and  laughter  of  guests  who,  no  doubt,  were 
already  wondering  at  her  absence. 

Thanks  to  the  amount  of  travel  of  late,  the  snow 
in  the  street  had  been  trodden  to  a  passable  con 
dition.  But  blinded  by  the  darkness,  every  now  and 
then,  with  a  gasp  and  a  flounder,  she  would  step  out  of 
the  path  into  the  deep  snow  on  either  side,  and  once, 
hearing  a  sleigh  coming  along,  she  had  to  plunge  into 
a  drift  nearly  as  high  as  her  waist,  and  stand  there  un 
til  the  vehicle  had  passed,  with  the  snow  freezing  her 
ankles,  and  also  ruining,  as  she  well  knew,  her  pretty 
morocco  shoes.  Suddenly  a  tall  figure  loomed  up  close 
before  her,  there  was  a  rattle  of  accouterments,  and  a 
rough  voice  said  sharply: 

"Halt!" 

She  stopped,  all  in  a  tremble.  She  had  quite  forgot 
ten  that  the  streets  were  now  guarded  by  regular  lines 
of  sentries. 

"Advance  and  give  the  countersign,"  said  the  sol 
dier. 

At  first  she  quite  gave  herself  up  for  lost.  Then  she 
remembered  that  by  the  merest  chance  in  the  world 
she  knew  the  countersign  for  that  night.  The  officer 
of  the  day  had  playfully  asked  her  to  name  it,  and  in 
honor  of  the  patriotic  citizens  of  the  capital  who  had 


326  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

lent  to  the  empty  treasury  the  money  needed  to  equip 
and  supply  the  force  of  militia  the  governor  had  or 
dered  out,  she  had  given  "The  Merchants  of  Boston." 
Scarcely  believing  that  so  simple  a  formula  could  re 
move  this  formidable  obstacle  from  her  path,  she 
repeated  it  in  a  tremulous  voice.  "  Pass  on,"  said  the 
sentry,  and  the  way  was  clear.  Now  turning  out  of 
the  main  street,  she  made  her  way  slowly  and  panting- 
ly,  rather  wading  than  walking  up  the  less  trodden 
lane  leading  to  the  Hamlins'  house,  through  whose 
windows  shone  the  flickering  light  of  the  fire  on  the 
hearth  within,  the  only  species  of  evening  illumination 
afforded  in  those  days  save  in  the  households  of  the 
rich. 

She  pulled  the  latch-string  and  entered.  The  mis 
erable  fittings  of  the  great  kitchen  denoted  extreme 
poverty,  but  the  great  fire  of  logs  in  the  chimney  was 
such  as  the  richest,  in  these  days  of  wasted  forests,  can 
not  afford,  and  the  ruddy  light  illuminated  the  room 
as  all  the  candles  in  the  town  could  scarcely  do.  Be 
fore  it  sat  Elnathan  and  his  wife,  and  Reuben.  The 
shawl  which  Desire  wore  was  thickly  flecked  with  the 
snow  through  which  she  had  stumbled,  and  instinc 
tively  her  first  motion  on  entering  the  room  was  to 
open  and  shake  it,  thereby  revealing  to  the  eyes  of  the 
astonished  family  the  evening  toilet  of  a  fashionable 
beauty.  Her  hair  was  built  up  over  a  toupee  with  a 
charming  effect  of  stateliness,  the  dusting  of  powder 
upon  the  dark  strands  bringing  out  the  rich  bloom  of 
her  brunette  complexion.  The  shoulders  gleamed 
through  the  meshes  of  the  square  of  ancient  yellow 
lace  that  covered  them,  while  the  curves  of  the  full 
young  figure  and  the  white  roundness  of  the  arms, 
left  bare  by  the  elbow  sleeves,  were  set  off  in  charm- 


A  Game  of  Bluff  327 

ing  contrast  by  the  stiff  folds  of  the  figured  crimson 
brocade. 

"Miss  Edwards!"  murmured  Mrs.  Hamlin,  as  Elna- 
than  and  Reuben  gaped  in  speechless  bewilderment. 

"Yes,  it  is  I,"  said  Desire,  coming  forward  a  few 
steps,  but  still  keeping  in  the  back  of  the  room.  "  I 
came  to  tell  you  that  the  army  is  going  to  march  at 
dawn  to-morrow  to  Lee  to  take  your  son,  and  all  who 
are  with  him,  prisoners,  and  bring  them  back  here  to 
be  punished."  There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Then 
Mrs.  Hamlin  said: 

"  How  do  you  know  it? " 

"  I  was  told  so  ten  minutes  ago  by  the  officers  at  my 
father's  house,"  replied  Desire. 

"  And  why  do  you  tell  us? "  asked  Mrs.  Hamlin 
again,  regarding  her  keenly  from  beneath  her  bushy 
gray  eyebrows,  and  speaking  with  a  certain  slight 
hardness  of  tone,  as  if  half  suspicious  of  a  warning 
from  such  a  source. 

"  I  thought  if  I  told  you  in  time  you  might  get  some 
word  to  him  so  that  he  could  get  away.  The  counter 
sign  is  l  The  Merchants  of  Boston. '  " 

Mrs.  Hamlin's  face  suddenly  changed  its  expression, 
and  she  answered  slowly,  in  a  tone  of  intense,  sup 
pressed  feeling: 

"  And  so  you  left  them  gay  gentlemen,  and  waded 
through  the  snow  all  alone,  half  a  mile,  way  out  here, 
all  in  your  pretty  clothes,  so  that  no  harm  might 
come  to  my  boy.  God  bless  you,  my  child!  God 
bless  you  with  his  choicest  blessings,  my  sweet  young 
lady!  My  son  does  well  to  worship  the  ground  you 
walk  on. " 

It  was  an  odd  sensation,  but  as  the  gray-haired  wom 
an  was  speaking,  her  face  aglow  with  tenderness,  and 


328  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

her  eyes  wet  with  a  mother's  gratitude,  Desire  could 
not  help  half  wishing  she  had  deserved  the  words, 
even  though  that  wish  implied  her  being  really  in  love 
with  this  woman's  son.  It  was  not  without  emotion, 
and  eyes  to  which  responsive  tears  had  sprung,  that  she 
exclaimed,  with  a  gesture  of  deprecation : 

"  No,  no,  do  not  thank  me.  If  you  knew  all,  you 
would  not  thank  me.  I  am  not  so  good  as  you  think," 
and,  throwing  the  door  open,  she  sprang  out  into  the 
snow. 

When  she  re-entered  the  parlor  at  home,  the  silver- 
dialed  clock,  high  upon  the  wall,  accused  her  of  only 
an  hour's  absence,  and  since  nobody  but  herself  knew 
that  her  feet  were  quite  wet  through,  there  were  no 
explanations  to  make.  But  for  the  first  time  she  wea 
ried  a  little  of  her  courtiers.  She  found  their  compli 
ments  insipid  and  her  repartees  were  slow.  Her 
thoughts  were  wandering  to  that  poor  home  where  all 
undeservedly  she  had  been  received  as  an  angel  of 
light;  and  her  anxieties  were  with  the  messenger 
stumbling  along  the  half-broken  road  to  Lee  to  carry 
the  warning.  When  at  last  Squire  Edwards  proposed 
that  all  should  fill  their  punch-glasses  and  drain  to  the 
success  of  the  morrow's  expedition,  she  set  down  hers 
untasted,  passing  off  her  omission  with  some  excuse. 
That  night  toward  morning,  though  it  was  yet  quite 
dark,  she  was  awakened  by  the  noise  of  opening  doors, 
and  men's  footsteps,  and  loud  talk;  and  afterward 
hearing  a  heavy,  jarring  sound,  she  looked  out  of  the 
window  and  descried  in  the  road  a  long  black  column 
moving  rapidly  along,  noiseless,  save  for  now  and  then 
a  hoarse  word  of  command.  The  impressiveness  of  this 
silent,  formidable  departure  gave  her  a  new  sense  of 
the  responsibility  she  had  taken  on  herself  in  frustrat- 


A  Game  of  Bluff  329 

ing  the  design  of  so  many  grave  and  weighty  men,  and 
interfering  with  issues  of  life  and  death.  And  then  for 
the  first  time  a  dreadful  thought  occurred  to  her.  What 
if  after  all  there  should  be  a  battle?  She  had  thought 
only  of  giving  Perez  warning,  so  that  he  might  fly  with 
his  men,  but  what  if  he  should  take  advantage  of  it  to 
prepare  an  ambush  and  fight?  She  had  not  thought 
of  that.  Jonathan  was  with  the  expedition.  What  if 
she  should  prove  to  be  the  murderer  of  her  brother? 
What  had  she  done?  Sick  at  heart,  she  lay  awake 
trembling  until  dawn.  Then  she  arose  and  dressed, 
and  waited  about  miserably,  and  toward  eight  o'clock 
the  news  of  the  result  came.  Then  she  laughed  until 
she  cried,  and  ended  by  saying  that  she  would  go  to 
bed,  for  she  thought  she  was  going  to  be  ill.  And  she 
was  right.  Her  mother  wondered  how  she  could  have 
taken  such  a  terrible  cold. 

But  leaving  Doctor  Partridge  to  cure  her  cold  with 
calomel  and  laudanum,  after  the  manner  of  the  day, 
let  us  inquire  in  a  historical  spirit  what  it  was  in  the 
news  of  the  result  at  Lee  which  should  cause  a  young 
woman  to  laugh  so  immoderately. 

It  had  been  nearly  midnight  of  the  preceding  even 
ing  when  Reuben,  wearily  and  slowly  making  his  way 
along  the  dark  and  difficult  road,  reached  Lee,  and  was 
directed  at  the  rebel  outposts  to  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Perry,  as  the  place  which  Perez  occupied  as  a  head 
quarters.  Although  it  was  so  late,  the  rebel  com 
mander,  too  full  of  anxious  and  brooding  thoughts  to 
sleep,  was  still  sitting  before  the  smoldering  fire  in 
the  kitchen  chimney  when  Reuben  staggered  in. 

"Reub,"  he  cried,  starting  up  as  he  recognized  his 
brother,  "what's  the  matter?  Has  anything  happened 
at  home?" 


330          The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Nothing  bad.  I've  brought  you  news.  Have  you 
got  some  rum?  I'm  pretty  tired." 

Perez  found  a  demijohn,  poured  out  a  mug,  and 
watched  his  brother  with  anxious  eyes  as  he  gulped  it 
down.  Presently  a  little  color  came  back  to  his  white 
face,  and  he  said, 

"  Now  I  feel  better.  It  was  a  hard  road.  I  felt  like 
giving  out  once  or  twice.  But  I'm  all  right  now." 

"What  made  you  come,  Reub?  You're  not  strong 
yet.  It  might  have  killed  you." 

"  I  had  to,  Perez.  It  was  life  or  death  for  you.  The 
army  at  Stockbridge  are  going  to  surprise  you  at  sun 
rise.  I  came  to  warn  you.  Desire  Edwards  brought 
as  word." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Perez,  his  face  aglow.  "She 
brought  you  word?  Do  you  mean  that? " 

"Jest  hold  on,  and  I'll  tell  you  how  it  was,"  said 
Reub,  with  a  manner  almost  as  full  of  enthusiasm  as 
his  brother's.  "  It  was  nigh  bedtime,  and  we  were 
settin'  afore  the  fire  a-talkin'  'baout  you,  and  a-hopin' 
you'd  get  over  the  line  into  York,  when  the  door 
opened,  an'  in  come  Desire  Edwards,  all  dressed  up 
in  a  shiny  gaown,  an'  her  hair  fixed,  an'  everything 
like  as  to  a  weddin'.  I  tell  yew,  Perez,  my  eyes  stood 
out  some.  An'  afore  we  could  say  nothin',  we  wuz  so 
flustered,  she  up  an'  says  ez  haow  she  hearn  them  os- 
sifers  ter  her  haouse  tellin'  haow  they  wuz  goin'  ter 
s'prise  ye  in  the  mornin',  an'  so  she  come  ter  tell  us, 
thinkin'  we  might  git  word  ter  ye." 

"  Did  she  say  that,  Reub?  Did  she  say  those  words? 
Did  she  say  that  about  me?  Are  you  sure?  "  inter 
rupted  Perez,  in  a  hushed  tone  of  incredulous  ecstasy, 
as  he  nervously  gripped  his  brother's  shoulder. 

"Them  wuz  her  words,  nigh  ez   I  kin  recollect," 


A  Game  of  Bluff 


331 


replied  Reub,  "an*  that  'baout  yew  she  said  fer 
sartin.  She  said  we  wuz  ter  send  word  ter  ye,  so's  ye 
might  git  away,  an*  then  she  gave  me  the  countersign 
fer  ter  say  ter  the  sentries,  so's  I  could  git  by  ter  fetch 
ye  word." 

"To  think  of  her  doing  all  that  for  me,  Reub!  I 
can't  believe  it.  It's  too  much.  Because  you  see, 
Reub,  if  she'd  take  all  that  trouble  for  me,  it  shows  it 
— it  shows — I  think  it  must  be  she  " — he  hesitated,  and 
finally  gulped  out — "  cares  for  me,  Reub,"  and  his  eyes 
filled  with  tears. 

"Ye  may  say  so,  for  sartin,  Perez,"  replied  his 
brother  with  sympathetic  enthusiasm.  "  A  gal  would 
n't  dew  what  she  did  for  no  feller,  unless  she  set  store 
by  him,  naow.  It's  a  sign,  fer  sure." 

"Reub,"  said  Perez,  in  a  voice  uneven  with  sup 
pressed  emotion,  "  now  I  know  she  cares  for  me  that 
much,  I  don't  mind  a  snap  of  the  finger  what  happens 
to  me.  If  they  came  to  hang  me  this  minute,  I  should 
laugh  in  their  faces,"  and  he  sprang  up  and  paced  to 
and  fro,  with  fixed  eyes  and  a  set  smile,  and  then,  still 
wearing  the  same  look,  came  back  and  sat  down  by  his 
brother,  and  said :  "  I  sort  of  hoped  she  cared  for  me 
before,  but  it  seemed  almost  too  much  to  believe. 
You  don't  know  how  I  feel,  Reub.  You  can't  think 
what  it  means  to  me." 

"  Yes,  I  kin,"  said  Reuben,  quietly.  "  I  guess  ye  feel 
suthin*  ez  I  used  ter  'baout  Jemimy,  sort  o'  light  inside 
an'  so  pleased  like  ye  don't  keer  a  copper  ef  ye  live  or 
die.  Yes,  I  know  more'n  ye  think  I  dew  'bout  the  feel- 
in's  a  feller  hez  'long  o'  women,  only  ye  see  it  didn't 
come  ter  nothin'  with  Jemimy,  fer  when  my  fust  crop 
failed  an'  I  was  took  for  debt,  Peleg  got  her  arter  all." 

"I  didn't  think  about  Jemima,  Reub,"  said  Perez, 


332  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

softly.  In  the  affluence  of  his  own  happiness,  he  was 
overwhelmed  with  compassion  for  his  brother.  He 
was  stricken  by  the  patient  look  upon  his  pale  face. 
"Never  mind,  Reub,"  he  said.  "Don't  be  down 
hearted.  You  and  I  will  stand  by  each  other,  and 
perhaps  it'll  be  made  up  to  you  some  time,"  and  he 
laid  his  arm  tenderly  on  the  other's  shoulder. 

"  I  only  spoke  on't  'cause  o'  what  ye  said  'baout  my 
not  understanding "  said  Reuben,  excusing  himself  for 
having  made  a  demand  on  the  other's  compassion. 
"  She  never  gave  me  no  sech  reason  ter  think  she  set 
store  by  me  ez  you've  hed  ter  night  'long  o'  Desire 
Edwards.  I  wuzn't  a-comparin'  on  us,  nohow." 

There  was  a  space  of  silence,  finally  disturbed  by  a 
sound  of  heavy  steps  in  an  adjoining  room,  and  pres 
ently  Abner  Rathbun  stumped  out.  Abner  had  es 
caped  at  the  West  Stockbridge  rout,  and  having  made 
his  way  to  Perez,  at  Lee,  had  been  forgiven  his  deser 
tion  by  the  latter  and  made  his  chief  lieutenant  and 
adviser. 

"Hello,  Reub,"  he  exclaimed.  "Where'd  ye  drop 
from?  Heard  so  much  talkin'  calc'lated  suthin'  must 
ha'  happened,  an'  turned  out  ter  see  what  it  wuz. 
Fetched  any  news,  hev  ye,  Reub?  Spit  it  out.  Guess 
it  must  be  putty  good,  or  the  cap'n  would'nt  be  lookin' 
so  darned  pleased." 

"  The  news  I  fetched  is  that  the  army  in  Stockbridge 
is  goin*  ter  attack  ye  to-morrow  at  dawn." 

Abner's  jaw  fell.  He  looked  from  Reuben  to  Perez, 
whose  face  as  he  gazed  absently  at  the  coals  on  the 
hearth  still  wore  the  smile  which  had  attracted  his  at 
tention.  This  seemed  to  decide  him  for,  as  he  turned 
again  to  Reub,  he  said,  shrewdly, 

"  Yew  can't  fool  me  with  no  gum -game  o'  that  sort 


A  Game  of  Bluff  333 

I  guess  Perez  wouldn't  be  grinnin'  that  air  way  ef  he 
expected  we  wuz  goin'  ter  be  all  chawed  up  afore 
mornin'." 

"Reuben  tells  the  truth.  They  are  going  to  attack 
us  in  the  morning,"  said  Perez,  looking  up.  Abner 
stared  at  him  a  moment,  and  then  demanded,  half-sul 
len,  half -puzzled : 

"Wai,  cap'n,  what  do  ye  see  ter  larf  at  in  that? 
Darned  ef  I  see  nothin'  funny." 

"  Your  glum  mug  would  be  enough  to  laugh  at  if 
there  was  nothing  else,  Abner,"  said  Perez,  getting  up 
and  gayly  slapping  the  giant  on  the  shoulder. 

"  I  s'pose  ye  must  hev  got  some  plan  in  yer  head  fer 
gittin'  the  best  on  'em,"  suggested  Abner,  at  last,  evi 
dently  racking  his  brains  to  suggest  a  hypothesis  to 
explain  his  commander's  untimely  levity. 

"No,  Abner,"  replied  Perez,  "I  have  not  thought  of 
any  plan  yet.  What  do  you  think  about  the  business? " 

"  I'm  afeard  there  ain't  no  dependin'  on  the  men  fer 
a  scrimmage.  I  expect  they'll  scatter  ez  soon's  the 
news  gits  'raound  that  the  white  feathers  be  comin', 
'thout  even  waitin'  fer  'em  ter  git  in  sight,"  was  Ab 
ner 's  gloomy  response. 

"  I  shouldn't  be  at  all  surprised  if  they  did.  I  don't 
believe  there's  a  dozen  in  the  lot  we  could  depend  on," 
said  Perez,  cheerfully. 

"What's  the  matter  with  ye,  cap'n?"  burst  out  Ab 
ner,  in  desperation.  "  I  can't  make  aout  what's  come 
over  ye.  Ye  talk  's  though  ye  didn't  keer  a  Bunga- 
town  copper  whether  we  fit  or  run,  or  stayed  an'  got 
hung,  but  jest  set  there  a-grinnin'  ter  yerself  ez  if 
ye'd  lost  yer  wits." 

Perez  laughed  again,  but  checking  himself,  replied : 
"  I  suppose  I  do  seem  a  little  queer,  Abner,  but  you 


334  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

mustn't  mind  that.  I  hope  I  haven't  quite  lost  my 
wits.  Let's  see,  now,"  he  went  on  in  a  business-like 
tone,  with  the  air  of  one  abruptly  enforcing  a  new  di 
rection  upon  his  thoughts.  "  We  could  get  up  the  men 
and  retreat  to  the  mountains  by  morning,  but  two 
thirds  would  desert  before  we'd  marched  two  miles, 
and  slink  away  home,  and  the  worst  of  it  is  the  poor 
chaps  would  be  arrested  and  abused  when  they  got 
home." 

"  That's  sartin  so,  cap'n,"  said  Abner,  his  anxiety  for 
Perez's  sanity  evidently  diminishing. 

"It's  a  shame  to  retreat,  too,  with  such  a  position  to 
defend.  Why,  Abner,  just  look  at  it.  The  snow  is 
three  to  four  feet  deep  in  the  fields  and  woods,  and  the 
enemy  can  come  in  only  on  the  road.  That  road  is 
just  like  a  causeway  through  a  swamp  or  a  bridge. 
They  can't  go  off  it  without  snow-shoes.  With  half  a 
company  that  I  could  depend  on,  I'd  defend  it  against 
a  regiment.  If  I  wanted  breastworks  all  I've  got  to 
do  is  to  dig  paths  in  the  snow.  I  could  hold  Lee  till 
the  snow  melts  or  till  they  took  it  by  zig-zags  and 
parallels  through  the  drifts.  But  there's  no  use  talking 
about  any  such  thing,  for  there's  no  fight  left  in  the 
men,  not  a  bit.  If  they  had  ever  so  little  grit  left,  we 
might  hold  out  long  enough  at  least  to  get  some  sort 
of  fair  terms,  but,  Lord!  they  haven't.  They'll  just 
run  like  sheep." 

"  Ef  we  only  hed  a  cannon  naow,  ef  't  wan't  but  a 
three  -  paounder !"  said  Abner,  pathetically.  "We 
could  jest  sot  it  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  all  crea 
tion  couldn't  get  inter  Lee.  Yew  an'  I  could  stop  'em 
alone  then.  Gosh,  naow!  what  wouldn't  I  give  fer  a 
cannon  the  size  o'  Mis'  Perry's  yarn-beam  there.  Ef 
the  white  feathers  seen  a  gun  the  size  o'  that  p'inted 


A  Game  of  Bluff  335 

at  'em  an*  a  feller  behind  it  with  a  hot  coal,  I'll  bet 
they'd  be  darn  glad  ter  'gree  ter  a  fair  settlement. 
But  Lordy  massy!  we  ain't  got  no  cannon,  and  we 
can't  make  one." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,  Abner,"  replied  Perez, 
deliberately.  His  glance  had  followed  Abner 's  to  the 
loom  standing  in  the  back  of  the  kitchen,  and  as  he 
answered  his  lieutenant  he  was  fixedly  regarding  the 
very  yarn-beam  to  which  the  other  had  alluded,  a 
round,  smooth,  dark-colored  wooden  roller,  five  or  six 
feet  long  and  eight  or  ten  inches  through. 

But  perhaps  it  will  be  better  to  let  Doctor  Partridge 
tell  the  rest  of  the  story,  as  he  related  it  nearly  three 
weeks  later  for  the  amusement  of  Desire  during  her 
convalescence  from  the  cold  and  fever  through  which 
he  had  brought  her. 

"It  was  pitch  dark  when  we  left  Stock  bridge, "  said 
the  doctor,  "  and  allowing  a  good  hour  for  the  march, 
owing  to  the  state  of  the  road,  the  general  calculated 
we  should  reach  Lee  about  dawn  and  catch  the  rascals 
taking  their  beauty  sleep.  It  was  excessively  cold 
and  our  fingers  began  to  grow  numb  very  soon,  and 
if  anybody  touched  the  iron  part  of  his  gun  without 
mittens  he  left  a  piece  of  skin  behind.  But  you  see 
we  had  just  heard  of  General  Lincoln's  thirty-mile 
night  march  from  Hadley  to  Petersham  in  even  worse 
weather,  and  for  the  credit  of  Berkshire  we  had  to 
keep  on  if  we  froze  to  death.  We  met  nobody  until 
we  were  within  half  a  mile  of  Lee.  Then  we  over 
hauled  one  of  the  rebel  sentries,  and  captured  him, 
though  not  till  he  had  let  off  his  gun.  Then  we  heard 
the  drum  beating  in  the  town.  There  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  hurry  on  as  fast  as  we  could.  And  so  we  did 
for  about  ten  minutes  more,  when  somebody  said, 


336  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

'There  they  are. '  Sure  enough,  about  twenty  rods  off, 
where  the  road  enters  the  village,  was  a  black  mass  of 
men  occupying  its  entire  breadth,  with  a  man  on  horse 
back  in  front  whom  I  took  for  Hamlin.  We  kept  on  a 
little  longer,  and  then  the  general  ordered  us  to  halt, 
and  Squire  Woodbridge  rode  forward  within  easy 
speaking  distance  of  the  rebels,  and  began  to  read  the 
Riot  Act.  But  he  had  no  sooner  begun  than  Hamlin 
made  a  gesture,  and  a  drum  struck  up  lustily  among 
the  rebels,  drowning  the  Squire's  voice.  Nevertheless 
he  made  an  end  of  the  reading  so  that  we  might  pro 
ceed  legally,  and  thereupon  the  general  ordered  the 
men  to  fix  bayonets  and  gave  the  order  to  march. 
Then  it  seemed  that  the  rebels  were  about  to  retire, 
for  their  line  fell  back  a  little,  and  already  our  men  had 
given  a  cheer  when  a  sharp-eyed  fellow  in  the  front 
rank  sang  out : 

"  *  They've  got  a  cannon! '  And  when  we  looked, 
sure  enough,  the  slight  falling  back  of  the  rebels  which 
we  had  noted  had  been  only  to  uncover  a  piece  of  ar 
tillery  which  was  planted  squarely  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  pointing  directly  at  us.  A  man  with  a  smoking 
brazier  of  coals  stood  by  the  breech,  and  another, 
whom  by  his  size  I  took  to  be  Abner  Rathbun,  with  a 
pair  of  tongs  held  a  bright  coal  which  he  had  taken 
from  it.  It  being  yet  rather  dark,  though  close  on 
sunrise,  we  could  plainly  see  the  redness  of  the  coal 
the  fellow  held  in  the  tongs  above  the  touch -hole  of 
the  gun,  and  ticklish  near  it  seemed,  I  can  say.  I 
know  not  to  this  day,  and  others  say  the  same,  whether 
any  one  gave  the  order  to  halt  or  not,  but  it  is  certain 
we  stopped  square,  nor  were  those  behind  at  all  dis 
posed  to  push  forward  such  as  were  in  front,  for  there 
is  this  about  cannon  balls  that  is  different  from  musket 


A  Game  of  Bluff  337 

balls :  the  front  rank  serves  the  rear  rank  as  a  shield 
from  the  bullets,  but  the  cannon  ba  1  plows  the  whole 
length  of  the  file  and  kills  those  behind  as  readily  as 
those  before.  And,  moreover,  we  had  as  soon  ex 
pected  to  see  the  devil  in  horns  and  tail  leading  the 
rebels  as  this  cannon,  for  no  one  supposed  there  was 
a  piece  of  artillery  in  all  Berkshire.  You  must  know 
the  place  we  were  in  was,  moreover,  as  bad  as  could 
be ;  for  we  could  march  only  by  the  road,  by  reason  of 
the  deep  snow  on  each  side,  which  was  like  walls  shut 
ting  us  in,  and  leaving  room  for  no  more  than  eight 
men  to  go  abreast.  If  the  cannon  were  loaded  with  a 
ball,  it  must  needs  cut  a  swath  like  a  scythe  from  the 
first  man  to  the  last,  and  if  it  were  loaded  with  small 
balls,  all  of  us  who  were  near  the  front  must  needs  go 
down  at  once.  The  general  asked  counsel  of  us  who 
were  riding  with  him  at  the  front  what  had  best  be 
done,  whereupon  Squire  Sedgwick  advised  that  half  a 
dozen  of  us  with  horses  should  put  spurs  to  them  and 
dash  suddenly  upon  the  cannon  and  take  it.  *  Ten  to 
one, '  he  said,  *  the  rascal  with  the  tongs  will  not  dare 
touch  off  the  gun,  and  if  he  does,  why,  't  is  but  one 
shot/  But  this  seemed  to  us  all  a  foolhardy  thing; 
for,  though  there  were  but  one  shot,  who  could  tell 
whom  it  might  hit?  It  might  be  one  of  us  as  well  as 
another.  Your  uncle  Jahleel,  as  it  seemed,  lest  any 
should  deem  Squire  Sedgwick  braver  than  he,  de 
clared  that  he  was  ready,  but  the  others  of  us  by  no 
means  fell  in  with  the  notion,  and  General  Patterson 
said  flatly  that  he  was  responsible  for  all  our  lives  and 
would  permit  no  such  madness.  And  then,  as  no  one 
had  any  other  plan  to  propose,  we  were  in  a  quandary, 
and  I  noted  that  each  one  had  his  eyes,  as  it  were, 
fastened  immovably  upon  the  cannon  and  the  glowing 

22 


338  The  Duke  of  Stockbridgc 

coal  which  the  fellow  held  in  the  tongs.  For,  in  ordef 
to  keep  it  clear  of  ash,  he  kept  waving  it  to  and  fro, 
and  once  or  twice,  when  he  brought  it  perilously  close 
to  the  touch-hole,  I  give  you  my  word  I  began  to 
think  in  a  moment  of  all  the  things  I  had  done  in  my 
life.  And  I  remember,  too,  that  if  one  of  us  was 
speaking  when  the  fellow  made  as  if  he  would  touch 
off  the  gun,  there  was  an  interruption  of  a  moment  in 
his  speech,  ere  he  went  on  again.  It  must  be  that  not 
only  civilians  like  myself,  but  men  of  war  also,  do  find 
a  certain  discomposing  effect  in  the  stare  of  a  cannon. 
Meanwhile  the  wind  drew  through  the  narrow  path 
wherein  we  stood  with  vehemence,  and,  whereas  we 
had  barely  kept  our  blood  in  motion  by  our  laboring 
through  the  snow,  now  that  we  stood  still  we  seemed 
freezing.  Our  horses  shivered  and  set  their  ears  back 
with  the  cold,  but  it  was  notable  how  quietly  the  men 
stood  packed  in  the  road  behind  us,  though  they  must 
have  been  well  nigh  frost-bitten.  No  doubt  they  were 
absorbed  in  watching  the  fellow  swinging  the  coal  as 
we  were.  But  if  we  did  not  advance  we  must  retreat, 
that  was  plain.  We  could  not  stay  where  we  were. 
It  was,  I  fancy,  because  no  one  could  bring  himself  to 
propose  such  an  ignoble  issue  to  our  enterprise,  that 
we  were  for  a  little  space  all  dumb. 

"  Then  it  was,  when  the  general  could  no  longer  have 
put  off  giving  the  order  to  right  about  march,  that 
Hamlin  tied  a  white  rag  to  his  sword  and  rode  toward 
us,  holding  it  aloft.  When  he  had  come  about  half 
way,  he  cried  out : 

'  Will  your  commander  and  Doctor  Partridge,  if  he 
be  among  you,  ride  out  to  meet  me?  I  would  have  a 
parley. ' 

"  Why  he  pitched  on  me  I  know  not,  save  that,  want- 


A  Game  of  Bluff 


339 


ing  a  witness,  he  chose  me  as  being  a  little  more  friend 
ly  to  him  than  most  of  the  Stockbridge  gentlemen. 
When  we  had  ridden  forward,  he  saluted  us  with  great 
cordiality  and  good  humor,  as  if,  forsooth,  instead  of 
being  within  an  ace  of  murdering  us  all,  he  had  been 
trying  us  with  a  jest. 

"  'I  see, '  said  he  to  the  general,  'that  your  fellows  like 
not  the  look  of  my  artillery,  and  I  blame  them  not,  for 
it  will  be  a  nasty  business  in  that  narrow  lane  if  we 
have  to  let  drive,  as  assuredly  we  shall  do  if  you  come 
another  foot  farther.  But  it  may  be  we  can  settle  our 
difference  without  bloodshed.  My  men  have  fled  to 
gether  to  me  to  be  protected  from  arrest  and  prosecu 
tion  for  what  they  have  heretofore  done,  not  because 
they  intend  further  to  attack  the  government.  I 
will  agree  that  they  shall  disperse  and  go  quietly 
to  their  homes,  provided  you  give  me  your  word 
that  they  shall  not  be  arrested  or  injured  by  your 
men,  and  will  promise  to  use  your  utmost  influence 
to  secure  them  from  any  arrest  hereafter,  and  that 
at  any  rate  they  shall  have  trial  before  a  jury  of 
their  neighbors. ' 

"The  general  is  a  shrewd  bargainer,  I  make  no 
doubt,  for  though  I  knew  he  was  delighted  out  of 
measure  to  find  any  honorable  escape  from  the  pre 
dicament  in  which  we  were,  he  pulled  a  long  face,  and 
after  some  thought,  said  that  he  would  grant  the  con 
ditions,  provided  the  rebels  also  surrendered  their 
arms,  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State.  At 
this  Hamlin  laughed  a  little. 

"  '  I  see,  sir,  we  are  but  wasting  time, '  he  said  with 
mighty  indifferent  air.  *  You  have  got  the  boot  on  the 
wrong  foot.  It  is  we  who  are  granting  you  terms,  not 
you  us.  You  may  thank  your  stars  I  don't  require 


340  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

your  men  to  surrender  their  arms.  Look  you,  sir,  my 
men  will  not  give  up  their  guns  or  take  any  oath,  but 
are  to  go  as  free  as  yours,  with  your  promise  of  protec 
tion  hereafter.  If  you  agree  to  those  terms,  you  may 
come  into  Lee,  and  we  will  disperse.  If  not,  let  us 
lose  no  more  time  waiting,  but  have  at  it. ' 

"  It  was  something  to  make  one's  blood  run  cold  to 
hear  the  fellow  talk  so  quietly  about  murdering  us. 
The  general  hemmed  and  hawed  a  little,  and  made  a 
show  of  talking  aside  with  me,  and  presently  said 
that  to  avoid  shedding  the  blood  of  the  misguided 
men  on  the  other  side  he  would  consent  to  the  terms, 
but,  he  added,  the  artillery  must  at  any  rate  be  sur 
rendered. 

" '  It  is  private  property, '  said  Hamlin. 

" '  It  is  forfeited  to  its  owner  by  its  use  against  the 
government, '  replied  the  general  sturdily. 

" '  I  will  not  stickle  for  the  gun, '  said  Hamlin,  *  but 
will  leave  you  to  settle  that  with  the  owner, '  and,  as 
he  spoke  he  looked  as  if  he  were  inwardly  amused  over 
something. 

"Thereupon  we  separated.  The  announcement  of 
the  terms  was  received  by  our  men  with  a  cheer,  for 
they  had  made  up  their  minds  that  there  was  nothing 
before  them  but  a  march  back  to  Stockbridge  in  the 
face  of  the  wind  and  to  meet  the  ridicule  of  the  populace. 
As  we  now  approached  the  cannon  at  quickstep,  Abner 
Rathbun  came  around  and  stood  in  front  of  it,  so  that 
we  did  not  see  it  until  we  were  close  upon  it.  He  was 
grinning  from  ear  to  ear.  The  road  just  behind  was 
packed  with  rebels,  all  likewise  on  the  broad  grin,  as 
if  at  some  prodigious  jest.  As  we  came  up  Hamlin 
said  to  the  general : 

"  *  Sir,  I  now  deliver  over  to  you  the  artillery— that 


A  Game  of  Bluff  341 

is,  if  you  can  settle  it  with  Mrs.  Perry.     Abner,  stand 
aside. ' 

"  Rathbun  did  so,  and  what  we  saw  was  a  yarn-beam 
mounted  on  a  pair  of  ox-cart  wheels,  with  the  tongue 
of  the  cart  resting  on  the  ground  behind !  " 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
The  Restoration 

As  it  was  remarked  in  the  last  chapter,  it  was  some 
three  weeks  after  the  famous  encounter  at  Lee  that 
Doctor  Partridge  entertained  Desire  one  afternoon 
with  the  account  of  the  affair  which  I  have  transcribed 
for  the  information  of  my  readers.  The  interval  be 
tween  the  night  before  the  Lee  expedition,  when  she 
had  taken  her  severe  cold,  and  the  sunny  afternoon  of 
expiring  February,  when  she  sat  listening  to  the  doc 
tor's  story,  had  for  her  been  only  a  blank  of  illness, 
but  in  the  community  around  it  had  been  a  time  of 
anxiety,  of  embitterment,  and  of  critical  change.  The 
gay  and  brilliant  court,  of  which  she  had  for  a  brief 
period  been  the  center,  had  long  ago  vanished.  Ham- 
lin's  band  at  Lee  had  been  the  last  considerable  force 
of  rebels  embodied  in  southern  Berkshire,  and  a  few 
days  after  its  dispersal  the  companies  from  other  towns 
left  Stockbridge  to  return  home,  leaving  the  protection 
of  the  village  to  the  home  company.  Close  on  this 
followed  the  arrival  at  Pittsfield  of  General  Lincoln 
with  a  body  of  troops  called  into  Berkshire  by  the  in 
vitation  of  General  Patterson,  to  the  disgust  of  some 
gentlemen  who  thought  the  county  quite  capable  of  at 
tending  to  its  own  affairs.  These  forces  had  completed 
the  pacification  of  northern  Berkshire,  where,  among 
the  mountain  fastnesses,  rebel  bands  had  until  then 
maintained  themselves ;  so  that  now  the  entire  county 


The  Restoration 


343 


was  subdued  and  the  insurrection,  so  far  as  concerned 
any  overt  manifestation,  was  at  an  end. 

Tax  Collector  Williams  once  more  went  his  rounds, 
Deputy  Sheriff  Seymour's  red  flag  floated  again 
from  the  gable  ends  of  the  houses  whence  the  mob 
had  torn  it  last  September,  foreclosure  sales  were  made, 
processes  were  served,  debtors  were  taken  to  jail,  and 
the  almost  forgotten  sound  of  the  lash  was  once  more 
heard  on  the  green  of  Saturday  afternoons  as  the  con 
stable  executed  Squire  Woodbridge's  sentences  at  the 
re-erected  whipping-post  and  stocks.  Sedgwick's  re 
turn  to  Boston,  to  his  seat  in  the  legislature  early  in 
February,  had  left  Woodbridge  to  resume  unimpeded 
his  ancient  autocracy  in  the  village,  and  with  as  many 
grudges  as  that  gentleman  had  to  pay  off,  it  may  well 
be  supposed  the  constable  had  no  sinecure.  The  vic 
tims  of  justice  were  almost  exclusively  those  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  late  rebellion.  For  although 
the  various  amnesties,  as  well  as  the  express  stipula 
tions  under  which  a  large  number  had  surrendered, 
protected  most  of  the  insurgents  from  penalties  for 
their  political  crimes,  still  misdemeanors  and  petty 
offences  against  property  and  persons  during  the  late 
disturbances  were  chargeable  against  most  of  them, 
and  when  tried  before  a  magistrate  whom,  like  Wood- 
bridge,  they  had  mobbed,  a  charge  was  as  good  as  a 
proof. 

Nor  if  they  appealed  to  a  jury  was  their  chance 
much  better,  for  the  legislature,  coming  together 
again  in  February,  had  excluded  former  rebels  from 
the  jury-box  for  three  years,  binding  them  to  keep  the 
peace  for  the  same  time,  and  depriving  them  of  the 
elective  franchise  in  all  forms  for  a  year,  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  complete  indemnity  was  granted  to  the 


344  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

friends  of  government  for  all  offences  against  property 
or  persons  which  they  might  have  committed  in  sup 
pressing  the  rebellion.  Without  here  controverting 
the  necessity  of  these  measures,  it  is  easy  to  realize  the 
state  of  hopeless  discouragement  to  which  they  reduced 
the  class  exposed  to  their  effect.  Originally  driven  into 
the  rebellion  by  the  pressure  of  a  poverty  which  made 
them  the  virtual  serfs  of  the  gentlemen,  they  now 
found  themselves  not  only  forced  to  resume  their 
former  position  in  that  respect,  but  were  in  addition 
deprived  of  the  ordinary  civil  rights  and  guaranties  of 
citizens.  In  desperation  many  fled  over  the  border 
into  New  York  and  Connecticut,  and  joined  bands  of 
similar  refugees  which  were  camped  there.  Others, 
weaker  spirited,  or  bound  by  ties  they  could  not  or 
would  not  break,  remained  at  home,  seeking  to  pro 
pitiate  their  masters  by  a  contrite  and  circumspect  de 
meanor,  or  sullenly  enduring  whatever  was  put  upon 
them.  A  large  number  prepared  to  emigrate  to  homes 
in  the  West  as  soon  as  spring  opened  the  roads. 

Of  the  chief  abettors  of  Perez,  the  fortunes  may  be 
briefly  told.  Jabez  Flint  had  sold  all  he  possessed  and 
escaped  to  Nova  Scotia  to  join  one  of  the  numerous 
colonies  of  deported  tories  which  had  been  formed 
there.  Jabez  was  down  on  his  luck. 

"I've  hed  enough  o'  rebellin',"  he  declared.  "I've 
tried  both  sides  on  't.  In  the  fust  rebellion  I  wuz  ag'in 
the  rebels,  an'  the  rebels  licked.  This  'ere  time  I  took 
sides  ag'in  the  gov'ment,  an'  the  gov'ment  hez  licked. 
I'm  like  a  feller  ez  is  fust  kicked  behind  an'  then  in 
the  stummick.  I  be  done  on  both  sides,  like  a  pan 
cake." 

Israel  Goodrich  and  Ezra  Phelps,  being  excepted 
from  the  amnesties  as  members  of  the  rebel  commit- 


The  Restoration  345 

tee,  had  escaped  jailing  only  because,  as  men  of  some 
substance,  they  had  been  able  to  give  large  bonds  to 
await  the  further  disposition  of  the  Boston  govern 
ment. 

"I  didn't  mind  so  much  'baout  that,"  said  Israel, 
"  but  what  come  kind  o'  tough  on  me  wuz  a-seein'  them 
poor,  white-livered,  pulin'  chaps  ter  my  house  took 
back  ter  jail." 

For  the  debtors  whom  the  mob  had  released  from 
Great  Barrington  jail,  including  those  to  whom  Israel 
had  given  asylum,  had  now  been  recaptured  and  re 
turned  to  the  charge  of  Cephas  Bement  and  his 
wife.  Reuben  Hamlin  had  been  taken  with  the  rest, 
though  his  stay  in  jail  this  time  did  not  promise  to  be 
a  long  one,  for  he  had  overdone  his  feeble  strength  in 
that  night  walk  through  the  snow  to  Lee,  and  since 
then  had  declined  rapidly.  He  was  so  far  gone  that  it 
would  scarcely  have  been  thought  worth  while  to  take 
him  to  jail  if  he  could  have  remained  at  home.  But  as 
the  sheriff  had  now  sold  the  Hamlin  house  at  auction, 
and  Elnathan  and  his  wife  had  been  separated  and 
boarded  out  as  paupers,  this  was  out  of  the  question. 

There  was  one  man  in  the  town,  however,  who  was 
more  to  be  pitied  than  Reuben.  Peleg  Bidwell  found 
himself  at  the  end  of  the  rebellion,  as  at  the  opening 
of  it,  the  debtor  and  thrall  of  Solomon  Gleason,  save 
that  his  debt  was  greater,  his  means  of  paying  it  even 
less,  while  by  his  insolent  bearing  toward  Solomon 
during  the  rebellion  he  had  made  him  not  only  his 
creditor  but  his  enemy.  The  jail  yawned  before 
Peleg,  and  of  the  jail  he,  as  well  as  the  people  gener 
ally,  had  acquired  a  new  horror  since  the  day  when  the 
mob  had  brought  to  light  the  secrets  of  that  habitation 
of  cruelty.  He  felt  that,  come  what  might,  he  could 


346  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

not  go  to  jail.  And  he  did  not.  But  his  pretty  wife 
stayed  at  home  and  avoided  her  former  acquaintances, 
and  those  who  saw  her  said  she  was  pale  and  acted 
queer,  and  Peleg  went  about  with  a  hang-dog  look; 
Solomon  Gleason  was  a  frequent  caller  at  his  house,  and 
the  women  of  the  neighborhood  whispered  together. 

Abner  Rathbun  and  Meshech  Little  had  fled  across 
the  border,  and  Abe  Konkapot  would  have  done  so  but 
for  the  fact  that  he  could  not  leave  his  sweetheart  Lu 
to  be  secured  by  his  rival  and  brother  Jake.  Jake, 
having  out  of  enmity  to  his  brother  sided  with  the 
government  party,  was  now  in  favor  with  the  powers 
that  were,  and  more  preferred  than  ever  by  Lu's 
mother.  But  Abe  knew  the  girl  liked  him  rather  the 
better,  and  did  not  let  himself  be  discouraged.  Jake, 
observing  that  he  made  little  progress  in  spite  of  his 
advantages,  laid  a  plot  against  his  brother.  The  latter 
had  acquired  in  the  army  a  tendency  to  use  profane 
language  in  moments  of  excitement,  and  it  was  of  this 
weakness  that  Jake  took  advantage.  Waiting  for  an  op 
portunity  when  there  were  witnesses,  he  provoked  Abe 
to  wrath,  and  having  made  him  swear  profusely,  went 
straightway  to  Squire  Woodbridge  and  complained  of 
him  for  blasphemy.  Abe  was  promptly  arrested  and 
brought  before  the  magistrate.  The  Squire,  not  un 
willing  to  get  a  handle  against  so  bad  a  rebel,  observed 
that  it  was  high  time  for  the  authorities  to  make  a  head 
against  the  tide  of  blasphemy  which  had  swept  over  the 
State  since  the  war,  and  to  advertise  to  the  rabble  that 
the  statute  against  profanity  was  not  a  dead  letter,  and 
he  thereupon  sentenced  Abe  to  ten  lashes  at  the  whip 
ping-post,  to  be  laid  on  at  once,  it  chancing  to  be  a 
Saturday  afternoon.  While  Abe,  frantic  with  rage, 
was  struggling  with  the  constable  and  his  assistants, 


The  Restoration  347 

Jake  ran  away  to  the  Widow  Nimham's  cottage,  and 
asking-  Lu  to  go  to  walk,  managed  to  bring  her  across 
the  green  in  time  to  see  the  sentence  carried  into  exe 
cution.  Jake  had  understood  what  he  was  about. 
There  were,  no  doubt,  white  girls  in  Stockbridge  who 
might  have  married  a  lover  whom  they  had  seen  pub 
licly  whipped,  but  for  Lu,  with  an  Indian's  intense 
sensitiveness  to  a  personal  indignity,  it  would  have 
been  impossible.  Abe  needed  no  one  to  tell  him  that. 
As  he  was  unbound  and  walked  away  from  the  post, 
his  bloodshot  eyes  had  taken  her  in,  standing  there 
with  Jake.  He  did  not  even  make  an  effort  to  see  her 
afterward,  and  next  Sunday  Jake's  and  Lu's  banns 
were  called  in  meeting.  Abe  had  been  drunk  nearly 
all  the  time  since,  lying  about  the  tavern  floor. 
Widow  Bingham  said  she  hadn't  a  heart  to  refuse  him 
rum,  and  in  truth  the  poor  fellow's  manhood  was  so 
completely  broken  down  that  he  must  have  been  a 
resolute  teetotaler,  indeed,  who  would  not  have  deemed 
it  an  act  of  common  humanity  to  help  him  temporarily 
to  forget  himself. 

Such  then  were  the  events  that  were  taking  place  in 
the  community  about  her,  while  Desire  was  lying  on 
her  bed,  or  making  her  first  appearance  as  a  con 
valescent  downstairs.  Only  faint  and  occasional 
echoes  of  them  had  reached  her  ears.  She  had  been 
told,  indeed,  that  the  rebellion  was  now  all  over  and  that 
peace  and  order  were  restored,  but  of  the  details  and  inci 
dents  of  the  process  she  knew  nothing.  To  be  precise, 
it  was  during  the  latter  part  of  the  afternoon  of  the 
26th  day  of  February  that  Doctor  Partridge  was  en 
tertaining  her  as  aforesaid  with  his  humorous  version 
of  the  Lee  affair.  The  doctor  and  Mrs.  Partridge 
had  come  to  tea  and  to  spend  the  evening.  After  ten 


348  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

o'clock  the  doctor  and  Squire  Edwards  sat  talking  poli 
tics  over  their  snuff-boxes,  while  Mrs.  Partridge  and 
Mrs.  Edwards  discussed  the  difficulty  of  getting  good 
help,  now  that  the  negroes  were  beginning  to  feel  the 
oats  of  their  new  liberty,  and  the  farmers'  daughters, 
since  the  war  and  the  talk  about  liberty  and  equality, 
thought  themselves  as  good  as  their  betters.  Now 
that  the  insurrection  had  still  further  stirred  up  their 
jealousy  of  gentlefolk,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  they 
would  be  quite  past  getting  on  with  at  all,  and  for  all 
Mrs.  Edwards  could  see,  ladies  must  make  up  their 
minds  to  do  their  own  work  very  soon. 

Desire  sat  in  an  arm-chair,  her  hands  folded  in  her 
lap,  musingly  gazing  into  the  glowing  bed  of  coals 
upon  the  hearth,  and  listening  half  absently  to  the  talk 
about  her.  She  had  been  twice  to  meeting  the  day  be 
fore,  and  considered  herself  as  now  quite  well,  but  she 
had  not  abandoned  the  invalid's  privilege  of  sitting 
silent  in  company. 

"I  marvel,"  said  Squire  Edwards,  contemplatively 
tapping  his  snuff-box,  "  at  the  working  of  Providence, 
when  I  consider  that  so  lately  the  commonwealth,  and 
especially  this  county,  was  in  turmoil,  the  rebels  hav 
ing  everything  their  own  way,  and  we  scarcely  daring 
to  call  our  souls  our  own,  and  behold  them  now  scat 
tered,  fled  over  the  border,  in  prison,  or  disarmed  and 
trembling,  and  the  authority  of  law  and  the  courts 
everywhere  established." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  doctor,  "we  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  indeed,  and  yet  I  cannot  help  compassion 
ating  the  honester  among  the  rebels.  It  is  the  pity  of 
an  uprising  like  this  that,  while  one  must  needs  sym 
pathize  with  the  want  and  suffering  of  the  rebels,  it  is 
impossible  to  condemn  too  strongly  the  mad  plans  they 


The  Restoration  349 

urge  as  remedies.  Ezra  Phelps  was  telling  me  the 
other  day  that  their  idea,  had  they  succeeded,  was  to 
cause  so  many  bills  to  be  printed  and  scattered  abroad 
that  the  poorest  could  get  enough  to  pay  all  their  debts 
and  taxes.  Some  were  for  repudiating  public  and  pri 
vate  debts  altogether,  but  Ezra  said  that  this  would 
not  be  honest.  He  was  in  favor  of  printing  bills 
enough  so  that  everything  could  be  paid.  I  tried  to 
show  him  that  one  plan  was  as  dishonest  as  the  other ; 
that  they  might  just  as  well  refuse  payment,  as  pay  in 
worthless  bits  of  printed  paper,  and  that  the  morality 
of  the  two  schemes  being  the  same,  that  of  refusing 
outright  the  payment  of  dues  was  preferable  practi 
cally,  because,  at  least,  it  would  not  further  derange 
trade  by  putting  a  debased  and  valueless  currency  in 
circulation.  But  I  fear  he  did  not  see  it  at  all,  if  he 
even  gave  me  credit  for  sincerity,  and  yet  he  is  an 
honest,  well-meaning  chap,  and  more  intelligent  than 
the  common  run  of  the  rebels. " 

"That  is  the  trouble  nowadays,"  said  Edwards; 
"  these  numskulls  must  needs  have  matters  of  govern 
ment  explained  to  them,  and  pass  their  own  judgment 
on  public  affairs.  And  when  they  cannot  understand 
them,  then,  forsooth,  comes  a  rebellion.  I  think  none 
can  deny  seeing  in  these  late  troubles  the  first  fruits  of 
those  pestilent  notions  of  equality,  whereof  we  heard  so 
much  from  certain  quarters,  during  the  late  war  of  in 
dependence.  I  would  that  Mr.  Jefferson  and  some  of  the 
other  writers  of  disturbing  democratic  rhetoric  might 
have  been  here  in  the  State  the  past  winter,  to  see  the 
outcome  of  their  preaching." 

"It  may  yet  prove,"  said  Doctor  Partridge,  "that 
these  troubles  are  to  work  providentially  to  incline  the 
people  of  this  State  to  favor  a  closer  union  with  the 


350  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

rest  of  the  continent  for  mutual  protection,  if  the 
forthcoming  convention  at  Philadelphia  shall  devise  a 
practicable  scheme.  By  reason  of  the  preponderant 
strength  of  our  commonwealth  we  have  deemed  our 
selves  less  in  need  of  such  a  union  than  are  our  sister 
colonies,  but  this  recent  experience  must  teach  us  that 
even  we  are  not  strong  enough  to  stand  alone." 

"You  are  right  there,  sir,"  said  Edwards.  "It  is 
plain  that  if  we  keep  on  as  we  are,  Massachusetts  will 
ere  long  split  into  as  many  States  as  we  have  counties, 
or  at  least  into  several.  What  have  these  troubles 
been  but  a  revolt  of  the  western  counties  against  the 
eastern?  And  had  we  gone  with  the  rebels,  the  State 
would  have  been  by  this  time  divided,  and  you  know 
well,"  here  Edwards's  voice  became  confidential,  "we 
have  in  the  main,  no  great  cause  to  be  beholden  to  the 
Bostonians.  They  treat  our  western  counties  as  if  they 
were  but  provinces." 

Desire's  attention  had  lapsed  as  the  gentlemen's  talk 
got  into  the  political  depths,  but  some  time  after  it  was 
again  aroused  by  hearing  the  mention  of  Perez  Ham- 
lin's  name.  The  doctor  was  saying: 

"  They  say  he  is  lurking  just  over  the  York  border  at 
Lebanon.  There  are  four  or  five  score  ruffians  with 
him,  who  breathe  out  threatening  and  slaughter 
against  us  Stockbridge  people;  but  I  think  we  need 
lose  no  sleep  on  that  account,  for  the  knaves  will 
scarcely  care  to  risk  their  necks  on  Massachusetts  soil. " 

"It  is  possible,"  said  Edwards,  "that  they  may 
make  some  descents  on  Egremont  or  Sheffield  or  other 
points,  just  across  the  line,  but  they  will  never  venture 
so  far  inland  as  this  town,  for  fear  of  being  cut  off,  and 
if  they  do  our  militia  is  quite  able  to  deal  with  them. 
What  mischief  they  can  do  safely  they  will  do,  but 


The  Restoration  351 

nothing  else,  for  they  are  arrant  cowards  when  all's 
said." 

Their  talk  branched  off  upon  other  topics,  but  Desire 
did  not  follow  it  further,  finding  in  what  had  just  been 
said  quite  enough  to  engross  her  thoughts.  Of  course 
there  could  be  no  real  danger  that  Hamlin  would  ven 
ture  a  visit  to  Stockbridge,  since  both  her  father  and 
the  doctor  scouted  the  idea;  but  there  was  in  the  mere 
suggestion  enough  to  be  very  agitating.  To  avoid  the 
possibility  of  a  meeting  with  Hamlin,  as  well  as  to  ac 
quit  her  conscience  of  a  goading  conviction  of  unfair 
ness  to  him,  she  had  already  once  risked  compromising 
herself  by  sending  that  midnight  warning  to  Lee,  nor 
did  she  grudge  the  three  weeks'  illness  it  had  cost  her, 
seeing  it  had  succeeded.  Nor  was  the  idea  of  meeting 
him  any  less  terrifying  now.  The  result  of  her  ex 
periences  in  the  last  few  months  had  been  that  all  her 
old  self-reliance  was  gone.  When  she  recalled  what 
she  had  done  and  felt,  and  imagined  what  she  might 
have  gone  on  to  do,  she  owned  in  all  humility  that  she 
could  no  longer  take  care  of  herself  or  answer  for  her 
self.  Desire  Edwards  was,  after  all,  capable  of  being  as 
foolish  as  any  other  girl.  Especially  at  the  thought  of 
meeting  Hamlin  again,  this  sense  of  insecurity  became 
actual  panic.  It  was  not  that  she  feared  her  heart. 
She  was  not  conscious  of  loving  him,  but  of  dreading 
him.  Her  imagination  invested  him  with  some 
strange,  irresistible  magnetic  power  over  her,  the  mag 
netism  of  a  tremendous  passion,  against  which,  demor 
alized  by  the  memory  of  her  former  weakness,  she 
could  not  guarantee  herself.  And  the  upshot  was  that 
just  because  she  chanced  to  overhear  that  reference  to 
Perez  in  the  talk  of  her  father  and  the  doctor,  she  lay 
awake,  nervous  and  miserable,  for  several  hours  after 


352  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

going  to  bed  that  night.  In  fact,  she  had  finally  to 
take  herself  seriously  to  task  about  the  folly  of  fright 
ening  herself  to  death  about  such  a  purely  fanciful  dan 
ger  before  she  could  go  to  sleep. 

She  awoke  hours  after  with  a  stifled  scream,  for  her 
mother  was  standing  in  the  door  of  the  room,  half 
dressed,  the  candle  she  held  revealing  a  pale  and 
frightened  face,  while  the  words  Desire  heard  were : 

"Quick!  get  up  and  dress!  or  you'll  be  murdered  in 
bed.  An  army  of  Shayites  is  in  the  village." 

With  chattering  teeth  and  random  movements,  half- 
distraught  with  incoherent  terrors,  Desire  made  a 
hasty,  incomplete  toilet  in  the  darkness  of  her  freezing 
bedroom,  and  ran  downstairs.  In  the  living-room 
she  found  her  mother  and  the  smaller  children,  with 
the  negro  servants  and  Keziah  Pixley,  the  white  do 
mestic.  Downstairs  in  the  cellar  her  father  and 
Jonathan  were  at  work  burying  the  silver  and  other 
valuables,  that  having  been  the  first  thought  when 
a  fugitive  from  the  tavern  where  the  rebels  had 
first  halted  brought  the  alarm.  There  were  no  can 
dles  lighted  in  the  living-room,  lest  their  light  should 
attract  marauders,  and  the  faint  light  of  the  just 
breaking  dawn  made  the  faces  seem  yet  paler  and 
ghastlier  with  fear  than  they  were.  From  the  street 
without  could  be  heard  the  noise  of  a  drum,  shouts, 
and  now  and  then  musket-shots ;  and  having  scraped 
away  the  thick  frost  from  one  of  the  panes,  Desire 
could  see  parties  of  men  with  muskets  going  about 
and  persons  running  across  the  green  as  if  for  their 
lives.  As  she  looked  she  saw  a  party  fire  their  mus 
kets  after  one  of  these  fugitives,  who  straightway 
came  back  and  gave  himself  up.  In  the  room  it  was 
bitterly  cold,  for  though  the  ashes  had  been  raked  off 


The  Restoration  353 

the  coals,  no  wood  had  been  put  on  lest  the  smoke  from 
the  chimney  should  attract  attention. 

The  colored  servants  were  in  a  state  of  abject  terror, 
but  the  white  "  help  "  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  her 
exultation.  They  were  her  friends,  the  Shayites,  and 
she  said  her  sweetheart  was  among  them.  He'd 
sent  her  a  hint  that  they  were  coming1,  she  volubly  de 
clared,  and  yesterday  when  Mrs.  Edwards  was  "so 
high  'n  mighty  with  her  a-makin'  her  sweep  the 
kitchen  twice  over,  she  was  goodamiter  tell  her  ez  haow 
she'd  see  the  time  she'd  wisht  she'd  a  kep'  the  right 
side  on  her." 

"I've  always  tried  to  do  right  by  you,  Keziah.  I 
don't  think  you  have  any  call  to  be  revengeful,"  said 
the  poor  lady,  trembling. 

"  Mebbe  I  hain't  and  mebbe  I  hev,"  shrilled  Keziah, 
tossing  her  head  disdainfully.  "  I  guess  I  know  them 
ez  loves  me  from  them  ez  don't.  I  s'pose  ye  think  I 
dunno  what  yer  husban'  an'  Jonathan  be  a-buryin' 
daownstairs. " 

"I'm  sure  you  won't  betray  us,  Keziah,"  said  Mrs. 
Edwards.  "  You've  had  a  good  place  with  us.  And 
there's  that  dimity  dress  of  mine.  It's  quite  good  yet. 
You  could  have  it  made  over  for  you." 

"Oh,  yes,  "  replied  Keziah,  scornfully.  "It's  all 
well  'nough  ter  talk  'bout  givin'  some  o'  yer  things 
away  when  yer  likely  to  lose  'em  all." 

With  that,  turning  her  back  upon  her  terrified  mis 
tress,  with  the  air  of  a  queen  refusing  a  petition,  she 
patronizingly  assured  Desire  that  she  had  met  with 
more  favor  in  her  eyes  than  her  mother,  and  she 
would  accordingly  protect  her.  "  Though,"  she  added, 
"  I  guess  ye  won't  need  my  helpin',  fer  Cap'n  Hamlin'll 
see  nobuddy  teches  ye  'cept  hisself." 
23 


354  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"  Is  he  here? "  gasped  Desire,  her  dismay  suddenly 
magnified  into  utter  panic. 

"  Fer  sartin ;  my  sweetheart  ez  sent  me  word  's  un 
der  him,"  replied  Keziah,  complacently. 

A  noise  of  voices  and  tramp  of  feet  at  the  outside 
door  interrupted  her.  The  marauders  had  come.  The 
door  was  barred,  and  this  having  been  tested,  there  was 
a  hail  of  gunstock  blows  upon  it,  with  orders  to  open  and 
blasphemous  threats  as  to  the  consequences  of  refusal. 
There  was  a  dead  silence  within,  but  for  Mrs.  Ed- 
wards's  hollow  whisper,  "Don't  open."  With  staring 
eyes  and  mouths  apart,  the  terrified  women  and  chil 
dren  looked  at  one  another  motionless,  barely  daring 
to  breathe.  But  as  the  volley  of  blows  and  threats 
was  renewed  with  access  of  violence,  Keziah  ex 
claimed, 

"  Ef  they  hain't  your  friends,  they  be  mine,  an*  I 
hain't  goin'  ter  see  'em  kep'  aout  in  the  cold  no  longer 
fer  nobuddy,"  and  she  went  to  the  door  and  took  hold 
of  the  bar. 

"Don't  you  do  it,"  gasped  Mrs.  Edwards,  springing 
forward  to  arrest  her.  But  she  had  done  it,  and  in 
stantly  Meshech  Little,  with  three  or  four  followers, 
burst  into  the  room,  wearing  the  green  insignia  of  re 
bellion  in  their  caps  and  carrying  muskets  with  bayo 
nets  fixed. 

"Why  didn't  ye  open  that  air  door  afore?"  de 
manded  Meshech,  angrily. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Mrs.  Edwards,  trem 
blingly  confronting  him. 

"What  dew  we  want,  old  woman?"  replied  Meshech. 
"  Wai,  we  want  most  everything,  but  I  guess  we  kin 
help  ourselves.  Hey,  boys?  " 

"Guess  we  kin  make  aout  tew,"  echoed  one  of  his 


The  Restoration  355 

followers,  not  a  Stockbridge  man,  and  then  as  his  eye 
caught  Desire,  as  she  stood  pale  and  beautiful,  with 
wild  eyes  and  disheveled  hair,  by  her  mother,  he 
made  a  dive  at  her,  saying,  "  Guess  I'll  take  a  kiss  ter 
begin  with." 

"  Let  the  gal  'lone, "  said  Meshech,  catching  him  by  the 
shoulder.  "  Hands  off  o'  her.  She's  the  Duke's  doxy, 
an'  he'll  run  ye  through  the  body  ef  ye  tech  her." 

"Gosh!  she  hain't,  though,  is  she?"  exclaimed  the 
fellow,  refraining  from  further  demonstration  but  re 
garding  her  admiringly.  "  I  hearn  '  baout  her.  Like 
ly  lookin'  gal,  tew,  hain't  she?  Only  a  leetle  tew 
black,  mebbe." 

"  Didn't  ye  know,  ye  darn  fool,  it's  along  o'  her  the 
Duke  sent  us  here,  ter  see  nobuddy  took  nothin'  till 
he  could  come  'raound?"  said  Mesech.  "But  I  guess 
the  only  way  ter  keep  other  fellers  from  takin'  anything 
ter-day  is  ter  take  it  yerself.  We'll  hev  suthin'  ter  drink, 
anyhaow.  Hello,  old  cock,"  he  added,  as  Squire  Ed 
wards,  coming  up  from  down  cellar,  entered  the  room. 
"Ye  be  jest  in  time.  Come  on,  give  us  some  rum," 
and  neither  daring  nor  able  to  make  resistance,  the 
storekeeper  was  hustled  into  the  store.  Keziah's 
sweetheart  had  remained  behind.  In  the  midst  of 
their  mutual  endearments,  she  had  found  opportunity 
to  whisper  to  him  something,  of  which  Mrs.  Edwards 
caught  the  words,  "  cellar,  'nough  ter  buy  us  a  farm 
an'  a  haouse,"  and  guessed  the  drift  of  her  communica 
tion.  As  Keziah  and  her  young  man,  who  responded 
to  her  suggestion  with  alacrity,  were  moving  toward 
the  cellar  door,  Mrs.  Edwards  barred  their  way.  The 
fellow  was  about  to  lay  hands  on  her,  when  one  of  the 
drinkers,  coming  back  from  the  store,  yelled,  "  Look 
out;  there's  the  cap'n!  "  and  Perez  entered. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
The  End  of  the  Fight 

AT  sight  of  his  commander,  the  soldier  who  had  been 
about  to  lay  hands  on  Mrs.  Edwards  to  thrust  her  out 
of  his  path  to  the  cellar,  giving  over  his  design,  slunk 
into  the  store  to  join  his  comrades  there,  and  was  fol 
lowed  by  the  faithful  Keziah.  Mrs.  Edwards,  who 
had  faced  the  ruffian  only  in  the  courage  of  despera 
tion,  sank  trembling  upon  a  settle,  and  the  children, 
throwing  themselves  upon  her,  wailed  in  concert. 
Without  bestowing  so  much  as  a  glance  on  any  other 
object  in  the  room,  Perez  crossed  to  where  Desire 
stood,  and  taking  her  nerveless  hand  in  both  his,  de 
voured  her  face  with  glowing  eyes.  She  did  not  flush 
or  show  any  confusion;  neither  did  she  try  to  get 
away.  She  stood  as  if  fascinated,  unresponsive  but 
unresisting. 

"Were you  frightened?"  he  asked,  tenderly. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  in  a  mechanical  tone  correspond 
ing  with  her  appearance. 

"  Didn't  you  know  I  was  here?  I  told  you  I  would 
come  back  for  you,  and  I  have  come.  You  have  been 
ill.  I  heard  of  it.  Are  you  well  now? " 

"Yes." 

"  Reuben  told  me  you  came  on  foot  through  the  snow 
to  bring  word  so  that  he  might  warn  me  the  night  before 
the  Lee  battle.  Was  it  that  which  made  you  ill?  " 

"Yes." 


The  End  of  the  Fight  357 

"What  is  that,  Desire?  What  do  you  mean,  child? 
What  did  he  say  about  your  sending  him  warning? " 
cried  Mrs.  Edwards  amazedly.  Desire  made  no  reply, 
but  Perez  did : 

"  I  owe  it  to  her  that  I  was  not  caught  in  my  bed  by 
your  men  that  morning,  and  that  I  am  not  in  jail  to 
day,  disgraced  by  the  lash  and  waiting  for  the  hang 
man.  Oh,  my  dear,  how  glad  I  am  to  owe  it  to  you," 
and  he  caught  the  end  of  one  of  the  long  strands  of 
dark  hair  that  fell  down  her  neck  and  touched  it  to  his 
lips. 

"  You  are  crazy,  fellow ! "  cried  Mrs.  Edwards,  and 
starting  forward  and  grasping  Desire  by  the  arm  she 
demanded,  "What  does  this  wild  talk  mean?  There 
is  no  truth  in  it,  is  there? " 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl  in  the  same  dead,  mechanical 
voice,  without  turning  her  eyes  to  her  mother  or  even 
raising  them. 

Mrs.  Edwards  opened  her  mouth,  but  no  sound  came 
forth.  Her  astonishment  was  too  utter.  Meanwhile 
Perez  had  passed  his  arm  about  Desire's  waist  as  if  to 
claim  her  on  her  own  acknowledgment.  Stung  by  the 
sight  of  her  daughter  in  the  very  arms  of  the  rebel 
captain,  Mrs.  Edwards  found  her  voice  once  more, 
righteous  indignation  overcoming  her  first  unmingled 
consternation. 

"  Out  upon  you  for  a  shameless  hussy !  Oh,  that  a 
daughter  of  mine  should  come  to  this!  Do  you  dare 
tell  me  you  love  this  scoundrel? " 

"  No,"  answered  the  girl. 

"  What  ? "  faltered  Perez,  his  arm  involuntarily  drop 
ping  from  her  waist. 

For  all  reply  she  rushed  to  her  mother  and  threw 
herself  on  her  bosom,  sobbing  hysterically.  For  once 


35 8  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

at  least  in  their  lives  Mrs.  Edwards's  and  Perez  Ham- 
lin's  eyes  met  with  an  expression  of  perfect  sympathy, 
the  sympathy  of  a  common  bewilderment.  Then  Mrs. 
Edwards  tried  to  loosen  Desire's  convulsive  clasp  about 
her  neck,  but  the  girl  held  her  tightly,  crying: 

"Oh,  don't,  mother,  don't!" 

For  several  moments  Perez  stood  motionless  just 
where  Desire  had  left  him,  looking  after  her  stupefied. 
The  pupils  of  his  eyes  alternately  dilated  and  con 
tracted,  his  mouth  opened  and  closed,  he  passed  his 
hand  over  his  forehead.  Then  he  went  up  to  her 
and  stood  over  her  as  she  clung  to  her  mother,  but 
seemed  no  more  decided  as  to  what  he  could  do  or 
say  further. 

But  just  then  there  was  a  diversion.  Meshech  and 
his  followers,  who  had  passed  through  from  the  living- 
room  into  the  store  in  search  of  rum,  had  thrown  open 
the  outside  door,  and  a  gang  of  their  comrades  had 
poured  in  to  assist  in  the  onset  upon  the  liquor  barrels. 
The  spigots  had  all  been  set  running,  or  knocked  out 
entirely,  and  yet  comparatively  little  of  the  fiery  fluids 
was  wasted,  so  many  mugs,  hats,  caps,  and  all  sorts  of 
receptacles  were  extended  to  catch  the  flow.  Some 
who  could  not  find  any  sort  of  a  vessel,  actually  lay 
under  the  stream  and  let  it  pour  into  their  mouths  or 
lapped  it  up  as  it  ran  on  the  floor.  Meanwhile  the 
store  was  being  depleted  of  other  than  the  drinkable 
property.  The  contents  of  the  shelves  and  boxes  were 
littered  on  the  floor,  and  the  rebels  were  busy  swapping 
their  old  hats,  boots,  and  mittens  for  new  ones,  or  filling 
their  pockets  with  tobacco,  tea,  or  sugar,  while  some  of 
the  more  foresighted  were  making  piles  of  selected 
goods  to  carry  away.  But  whatever  might  be  the  mo 
mentary  occupation  of  the  marauders,  all  were  drunk, 


The  End  of  the  Fight  359 

excessively  yet  buoyantly  drunk,  drunk  with  that  pe 
culiarly  penetrating  and  tenacious  intoxication  which 
results  from  drinking  in  the  morning  on  an  empty 
stomach,  a  time  when  liquor  seems  to  pervade  all  the 
interstices  of  the  system  and  lap  each  particular  fibre 
and  tissue  in  a  special  and  independent  intoxication 
on  its  own  account.  Several  fellows,  including  Me- 
shech,  had  been  standing  for  a  few  moments  in  the  door 
leading  from  the  store  into  the  living-room,  grinningly 
observing  the  little  drama.  As  Desire  broke  away 
from  Perez  and  rushed  to  her  mother,  Meshech  ex 
claimed  : 

"  Why  in  time  didn't  yer  hold  ontew  her,  cap'n?  I'd 
like  ter  seen  her  git  away  from  me." 

"Or  me  nuther,"  seconded  the  fellow  next  him. 

Perez  paid  no  heed  to  this  remonstrance,  and  prob 
ably  did  not  hear  it  at  all,  but  Mrs.  Edwards  looked 
up.  In  her  bewilderment  and  distress  over  Desire,  the 
thought  of  her  husband  and  Jonathan  had  been  driven 
from  her  mind.  The  sight  of  Meshech  recalled  it. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  my  husband? "  she  de 
manded  anxiously. 

"  He's  all  right.  He  an'  the  young  cub  be  jest  a-go- 
in'  ter  take  a  leetle  walk  with  us  fellers  'cross  the  bor 
der,"  replied  Meshech  jocularly. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  take  them  away  for?  What 
are  you  going  to  do  to  them? "  cried  Mrs.  Edwards. 

"Oh,  ye  needn't  be  scairt,"  Meshech  reassured  her. 
"  He'll  hev  good  comp'ny.  Squire  Woodbridge,  an' 
Gin'ral  Ashley,  an'  Doctor  Sergeant,  an'  Cap'n  Jones, 
an'  Schoolmaster  Gleason,  an'  a  slew  more  o'  the  silk- 
stockin's  be  a-goin'  tew." 

"Are  you  going  to  murder  them?"  exclaimed  the 
frantic  woman. 


360  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

"Wai,"  drawled  Meshech,  "that  depends.  Ef  gov'- 
ment  hangs  any  o'  our  fellers  what  they've  got  in  jail, 
we're  goin'  ter  hang  yer  husban'  an'  the  rest  on  'em, 
sure's  taxes.  Ef  none  o'  aour'n  ain't  hurt,  we  shan't 
hurt  none  o'  your'n.  We  take  'em  fer  kind  o'  hostiges, 
ye  see,  old  lady." 

"  Where  have  you  got  my  husband?  I  must  go  to 
him.  God  help  us!"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Edwards;  and 
loosing  herself  from  her  daughter,  now  in  turn  forgot 
ten  in  anxiety  for  husband  and  son,  the  poor  woman 
hurried  past  Meshech  through  the  confused  store  and 
out  of  the  house. 

At  the  same  moment  the  drum  at  the  tavern  began 
to  beat  the  recall  to  the  plundering  parties  of  insur 
gents  scattered  over  the  village,  and  the  men  poured 
out  of  the  store. 

Save  for  the  presence  of  the  smaller  children  and  the 
negro  servants  cowering  in  a  corner,  Desire  and  Perez 
were  left  alone  in  the  room.  With  no  refuge  to  fly  to, 
she  stood  where  her  mother  had  left  her,  just  before 
Perez,  with  face  averted,  trembling,  motionless,  like  a 
timid  bird  which,  seeing  no  escape,  struggles  no  longer, 
but  waits  for  its  captor's  hand  to  close  upon  it.  But 
in  his  nonplussed,  piteously  perplexed  face,  you  would 
have  vainly  looked  for  the  hardened  and  remorseless 
expression  appropriate  to  his  part.  The  roll  of  the 
rebel  drum  kept  on. 

"See  here,  cap'n,"  said  Abner  Rathbun,  suddenly 
appearing  at  the  outside  door  of  the  living-room, 
"we've  got  the  hostiges  together,  an'  we'd  better  be 
a-gettin'  along,  for  the  'larm's  gone  ter  Pittsfield  an' 
all  'raound,  an'  we'll  hev  the  milishy  ontew  us  in  no 
time.  An'  besides  that,  the  fellers  ter  the  tavern  be 
a-gittin'  so  drunk,  some  on  'em  can't  walk  a'ready." 


The  End  of  the  Fight  361 

Aroused  by  Abner's  insistent  words,  Perez  took 
Desire's  hand,  and  said  desperately: 

"Won't  you  come  with  me,  my  darling?  You  shall 
have  a  woman  to  go  with  you,  and  we'll  be  married  as 
soon  as  we're  over  the  border.  I  know  it's  sudden,  but 
you  see  I  can't  wait,  and  I  thought  you  liked  me  a  little. 
Won't  you  come,  now?" 

"  Oh,  no !  Oh,  no !  I  don't  want  to,"  she  said,  shud 
dering  and  drawing  her  hand  away. 

Abner  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then  he  broke  out 
vehemently : 

"  Look  here,  cap'n,  we  hain't  got  no  time  fer  soft 
sawder  naow,  with  the  milishy  a-comin'  daown  on  us. 
I  kin  hear  'em  a-drummin'  up  ter  Lee  a'ready,  an' 
every  jiffey  we  stay  means  a  man's  life  an'  hangin'  fer 
them  as  is  took.  Ye've  hed  fuss  'nough  'long  o'  that 
gal  fust  and  last,  an'  this  ain't  no  time  fer  ter  put  up 
with  any  more  o'  her  tantrums." 

"  She  doesn't  want  to  come,  Abner.  She  doesn't 
love  me,  and  I  thought  she  did,"  said  Perez,  turning 
his  eyes  from  the  girl  to  Abner,  with  an  expression  of 
despairing,  appealing  helplessness,  almost  child-like. 

"Nonsense,"  replied  Abner,  with  contemptuous  im 
patience.  "She  likes  ye,  or  she'd  never  ha'  sent  ye 
that  warnin'.  Actions  speaks  louder  'n  words.  She's 
kind  o'  flustered  an'  dunno  her  own  mind,  that's  all. 
Gals  don't,  gen 'ally.  Ye'd  be  a  darnation  fool  ter  let 
her  slip  through  yer  fingers  naow,  arter  riskin'  yer 
neck  an'  all  aour  necks  in  this  'ere  job,  jest  ter  git  a 
holt  of  her,  an'  a-settin'  sech  store  by  her  ez  ye  allers 
hev.  Take  a  fool's  advice,  cap'n.  Don't  waste  no 
more  talk,  but  jest  grab  her  kind  o'  soft-like,  an'  fetch 
her  aout  ter  the  sleigh,  willy-nilly.  She'll  come 
'raound  in  less  'n  an  hour,  an'  thank  ye  for  't.  Gals 


362  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

allers  do.  They  like  a  masterful  man.  There,  that's 
the  talk.  Fetch  her  right  along." 

For  Perez,  apparently  decided  by  Abner's  words,  had 
thrown  his  arm  about  Desire's  waist,  and  drawing  her 
to  him  and  half  lifting  her  from  her  feet,  had  begun 
with  gentle  force  to  bear  her  away.  She  made  no  vio 
lent  resistance,  which  indeed  would  have  been  quite 
vain  in  his  powerful  clasp,  but  burst  into  tears,  crying 
poignantly, 

"Oh,  don't!  Please,  please  don't!  Don't!  Oh, 
don't!  "  Had  there  been  a  trace  of  defiance  or  of  in 
dignant  pride  in  her  tone,  it  would  have  been  easy  for 
him  to  carry  out  his  attempt.  But  of  the  proud,  high- 
spirited  Desire  Edwards  there  was  no  hint  in  the  tear- 
glazed  eyes  turned  up  to  his  in  wild  dismay.  She  was 
but  a  frightened  girl,  her  nerve  quite  broken  with  terror. 

And  yet  if  the  thought  of  leaving  her  had  been 
dreadful  before,  the  pressure  of  his  arm  now  upon  her 
pliant  waist,  the  delicious  sensation  of  her  weight, 
made  it  maddening,  and  thrilled  him  with  all  sorts  of 
reckless  impulses.  Still  clasping  her,  he  whispered 
hoarsely,  "  I  love  you,  I  love  you !  "  as  if  those  mighty 
words  left  nothing  further  needed  as  excuse  or  ex 
planation  for  his  conduct. 

"  Let  me  go,  then,  if  you  love  me.  Let  me  go !  "  she 
cried  frantically,  catching  at  his  plea  and  turning  it 
against  him. 

"  Ef  ye  let  her  go,  ye'll  never  set  eyes  on  her  ag'in, 
cap'n,"  said  Abner. 

"I  can't!  I  can't!  Have  pity  on  me,"  groaned 
Perez.  "  I  can't  let  you  go." 

"Oh,  for  pity's  sake,  do!  If  you  loved  me,  you 
would.  Oh,  you  would ! "  she  cried  again.  He  took 
her  by  the  shoulders  and  held  her  away  from  him,  and 


The  End  of  the  Fight  363 

looked  long  at  her.  There  was  something-  in  his  eyes 
which  awed  her  so  that  she  quite  forgot  her  former 
terror.  Then  he  dropped  his  hands  to  his  side,  and 
turned  away  as  if  he  would  leave  her  without  another 
word.  But  half  way  to  the  door  he  turned  again  and 
said  huskily: 

"  You  know  I  love  you  now.  You  believe  it,  don't 
you?" 

"Yes,"  she  answered  in  a  small,  scared  voice,  and 
without  another  word  he  went  out.  As  he  went  out, 
Mrs.  Edwards,  who  had  been  standing  in  the  doorway 
of  the  store  a  silent  spectator  of  the  last  scene,  came 
forward,  and  at  sight  of  her  Desire  started  from  the 
motionless  attitude  in  which  she  had  remained,  and 
cried  out,  pressing  her  hands  to  her  bosom : 

"Oh,  mother,  mother,  I  wish  he'd  taken  me!  He 
feels  so  bad." 

"  Nonsense,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Edwards,  in  a  soothing, 
sensible  voice.  "  That  would  have  been  a  pretty  piece 
of  business  indeed.  You're  all  upset,  and  don't  know 
what  you're  saying,  and  no  wonder,  either,  with  no 
breakfast  and  all  this  coil.  There,  there,  mother's  lit 
tle  girl,"  and  she  drew  her  daughter's  head  down  on 
her  shoulder  and  stroked  her  hair  till  the  nervous 
trembling  and  sobbing  ceased,  and  raising  her  head 
she  asked: 

"Where  are  father  and  Jonathan?" 

"  Hush !  I  gave  one  of  the  rebels  my  silver  shoe- 
buckles,  and  he  turned  his  back  while  Mrs.  Bingham 
hid  your  father  and  brother  in  the  closet  behind  the 
chimney  at  the  tavern.  They're  safe." 

The  rebel  column,  having  awaited  only  the  arrival  of 
Perez  and  Abner,  at  once  set  off  at  quick  step  on  the 
road  to  Great  Barrington,  the  prisoners,  thirty  or  forty 


364  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

in  number,  marching  in  the  center.  Perez  rode  be 
hind,  looking-  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  the  left, 
and  taking  heed  of  nothing,  and  Abner,  seeing  his 
condition,  tacitly  assumed  command.  Two  or  three 
fellows,  too  utterly  drunk  to  walk,  had  been  perforce 
left  behind  on  the  tavern  floor,  destined  to  be  ignomin- 
iously  dragged  off  to  the  lock-up  by  the  citizens  be 
fore  the  rebel  force  was  fairly  out  of  sight.  Several, 
nearly  as  drunk  as  those  who  were  left  behind,  but 
more  fortunate  in  having  friends,  by  dint  of  leaning 
heavily  upon  a  man  on  either  side  were  enabled  to 
march.  But  the  pace  was  rapid,  and  at  the  first  or 
second  steep  hill  these  wretches  had  to  be  left  behind, 
unless  their  friends  were  to  be  sacrificed  with  them. 
There  was  no  danger  of  their  freezing  to  death  by  the 
wayside.  The  pursuing  militia  would  come  along  soon 
enough  to  prevent  that. 

Nor  were  these  poor  fellows  the  only  burdens  that 
were  speedily  rejected  by  their  bearers.  As  the  reb 
els  marched  out  of  Stockbridge,  nearly  every  man  was 
loaded  with  miscellaneous  plunder.  Some  carried 
bags  of  flour,  or  flitches  of  bacon,  some  an  armful  of 
muskets,  others  of  cloth  or  clothing,  hanks  of  yarn,  a 
string  of  boots  and  shoes,  a  churn,  an  iron  pot,  a  pair 
of  bellows,  a  pair  of  brass  andirons,  while  one  even  led 
a  calf  by  a  halter.  Some,  luckier  than  their  fellows, 
carried  bags  from  which  was  audible  the  clink  of  sil 
verware.  Squire  Woodbridge,  lagging  a  little,  was 
poked  in  the  back  by  his  own  gold-headed  cane  to  re 
mind  him  to  mend  his  pace,  while  Doctor  Sergeant,  as 
a  special  favor  from  one  of  the  rebels  whose  wife  he 
had  once  attended,  was  permitted  to  take  a  drink  out 
of  his  own  demijohn  of  rum.  In  their  eagerness  to 
carry  away  all  they  could,  the  rebels  had  forgotten  that 


The  End  of  the  Fight  365 

loads  which  they  could  barely  hold  up  when  standing 
still,  would  prove  quite  too  heavy  to  march  under,  and 
accordingly  before  the  band  had  got  out  of  the  village 
the  road  began  to  be  littered  with  the  more  bulky  arti 
cles  of  property.  At  the  foot  of  the  first  hill  there  was 
a  big  pile  of  them,  and  two  miles  out  of  the  village  the 
rebels  were  reduced  once  more  to  light  marching  or 
der,  and  not  much  richer  than  when  they  entered  the 
village  an  hour  or  two  before.  Besides  the  hostages, 
they  had  under  their  escort  several  sleighs  containing 
old  men,  women,  and  children,  the  families  of  mem 
bers  of  the  band,  or  of  sympathizers  with  the  rebellion, 
who  were  taking  this  opportunity  to  elude  their  credi 
tors  and  escape  out  of  bondage  across  the  New  York 
border.  As  the  rebels  crossed  Muddy  Brook,  just  be 
fore  entering  Great  Barrington,  Abner  Rathbun  came 
up  to  Perez  and  said:  "  I  don't  see  yer  father  'n  mother 
nowhere  in  the  sleighs. " 

"  My  father  and  mother? "  repeated  Perez  vacantly. 

"Yes,"  rejoined  Abner.  "Ye  know  ye  wuz  a-goin' 
ter  bring  'em  back  ter  York  with  ye,  but  I  don't  see 
'em  nowhere."  Perez  stared  at  Abner,  and  then 
glanced  vaguely  at  the  row  of  sleighs  in  the  line. 

"  I  must  have  forgotten  about  them,"  he  finally  said. 

As  the  rebels  entered  Great  Barrington,  a  company 
of  militia  was  drawn  up  as  if  to  defend  the  tavern- jail, 
but  upon  the  approach  of  the  rebels,  who  were  decid 
edly  more  numerous,  they  retired  rapidly  on  the  road 
to  Sheffield.  Halting  in  front  of  the  building,  a  guard 
was  left  with  the  prisoners,  and  then  the  rebels  swarmed 
into  the  tavern,  with  the  double  purpose  of  emptying 
the  jail  of  debtors,  and  filling  themselves  with  Cephe 
Bement's  rum,  for  the  hard  tramp  from  Stockbridge 
had  sobered  them  and  given  them  fresh  thirst.  Perez 


366  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

did  not  go  in,  but  sat  on  his  horse  in  the  road.  Pres 
ently  Abner  came  out  with  a  very  serious  face  and 
slowly  approached  him.  He  looked  around. 

"  What  are  we  stopping  here  for,  Abner?"  he  asked, 
a  little  peevishly. 

"  Why,  it's  the  caounty  jail,  ye  know,  an'  we're  let- 
tin'  aout  the  debtors.  Reub's  in  here,  ye  know." 

"So  he  is;  I'd  forgotten,"  replied  Perez,  and  then 
after  a  pause,  "Why  doesn't  he  come  out? " 

"Cap'n,"  said  Abner,  taking  off  his  cap  and  looking 
at  it,  as  he  fingered  it.  "I've  got  kind  o'  tough  news 
fer  ye.  Reub's  dead.  He  died  this  mornin'.  I 
thought  mebbe  ye'd  like  ter  see  him." 

"Is  he  in  there?" 

"Yes." 

Perez  got  off  his  horse  and  went  in  at  the  door,  Ab 
ner  leading  the  way.  In  the  barroom  of  the  tavern 
there  was  a  crowd  of  drinking,  carousing  men,  and 
among  them  a  number  of  the  white-faced  debtors,  al 
ready  drunk  with  the  bumpers  their  deliverers  were 
pouring  down  their  throats.  Bement  was  not  visible, 
but  as  Abner  and  Perez  entered  the  jail,  they  saw  Mrs. 
Bement  in  the  corridor.  She  was  not  making  any  fuss 
or  trouble  at  all  over  the  breaking  of  the  jail  this  time. 
With  apparent  complaisance  she  was  promptly  opening 
cells,  or  answering  questions  in  response  to  the  demands 
of  Meshech  Little  and  some  companions.  But  there 
was  a  vicious  glint  in  her  blue  eyes,  and  she  was  softly 
singing  the  lugubrious  hymn  beginning  with  the  sig 
nificant  words, 

"Ye  living  men,  come  view  the  ground 
Where  ye  sha  1  short  y  lie." 

Abner  pushed  open  the   door   of  one   of  the   cells 


The  End  of  the  Fight  367 

that  had  been  already  opened,  and  went  in,  Perez  fol 
lowing-.  He  knelt  by  the  body  of  his  brother,  and  Ab- 
ner  turned  his  back.  It  was  the  same  cell  in  which 
Perez  had  found  Reuben  and  George  Fennell,  six 
months  before.  Several  minutes  passed,  and  neither 
moved.  The  drum  began  to  beat  without,  summoning 
the  men  to  resume  their  march. 

"Cap'n,"  said  Abner,  "we'll  hev  ter  go.  We  can't 
do  the  poor  chap  no  good  by  stay  in',  an'  they  can't  do 
him  no  more  harm." 

Then  Perez  rose  up,  and  leaned  on  Abner's  shoulder, 
looking  down  on  the  patient  face  of  the  dead.  The  first 
tears  gathered  in  his  eyes,  and  trickled  down,  and  he 
said: 

"  I  never  was  fair  to  Reub.  I  never  allowed  enough 
for  his  losing  Jemima.  I  was  harder  on  him  than  I 
should  have  been." 

"Ye  warn't  noways  hard  on  him,  Perez.  Ye  wuz  a 
good  brother  tew  him.  I  never  hearn  o'  no  feller  hev- 
in'  a  better  brother  nor  he  hed  in  yew,"  protested  Ab 
ner,  in  much  distress. 

Perez  shook  his  head. 

"  I  was  hard  on  him.  I  never  allowed  as  I  should  have 
done  for  his  losing  his  girl.  I  would  have  been  kinder  to 
him  if  I'd  known.  You  must  have  thought  I  was  hard 
and  unfeeling,  Reub,  dear,  many  a  time,  but  I  didn't 
know,  I  didn't  know.  We'll  go  now,  if  you  say  so,  Ab 
ner." 

The  rebels  had  not  left  Stockbridge  a  moment  too 
soon.  Captain  Stoddard  was  rallying  his  company  be 
fore  they  had  got  out  of  the  village,  and  messengers 
had  been  sent  to  Lee,  Lenox,  Pittsfield,  Great  Barring- 
ton,  Egremont,  and  Sheffield,  to  rouse  the  people. 
Within  an  hour  or  two  after  the  rebels  had  marched 


368  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

south,  the  Stockbridge  and  Lenox  companies  were  in 
pursuit.  Among  the  messengers  to  Great  Harrington 
was  Peleg  Bidwell.  For  Peleg,  since  he  had  bought 
his  safety  by  such  a  shameful  surrender,  was  embit 
tered  above  all  against  those  of  his  former  comrades 
who  had  been  too  brave  to  yield.  And  having  brought 
word  to  Great  Barrington,  he  took  his  place  in  the 
ranks  of  the  militia  of  that  town,  and  though  the  men 
among  whom  he  stood  eyed  him  askance,  knowing  his 
record,  not  one  of  them  was  really  so  eager  to  empty 
his  gun  into  the  bosom  of  the  rebel  band  as  Peleg  Bid- 
well. 

As  previously  stated,  the  Great  Barrington  company, 
in  which  Peleg  carried  a  musket,  had  retired  toward 
Sheffield,  when  the  rebels  entered  the  former  town. 
At  Sheffield  they  were  joined  by  the  large  company  of 
that  populous  settlement,  and  Colonel  Ashley  of  the 
same  village,  taking  command  of  the  combined  forces, 
ordered  a  march  on  Great  Barrington,  to  meet  the 
rebels.  Now  Great  Barrington  is  but  four  or  five  miles 
from  the  New  York  border,  while  Sheffield  is  about  six, 
and  as  many  miles  south  of  Great  Barrington,  the  road 
between  the  two  towns  running  nearly  parallel  to  the 
State  line.  There  was  nothing  to  hinder  the  rebels, 
after  they  had  gained  their  main  objects,  the  capture 
of  hostages  and  the  release  of  the  debtors,  from  turn 
ing  west  from  Great  Barrington,  and  placing  them 
selves  in  an  hour's  march  across  the  town  of  Egre- 
mont,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  militia,  in  neutral 
territory.  Becoming  apprehensive  that  this  would  be 
their  course,  Colonel  Ashley,  instead  of  keeping  on  the 
road  from  Sheffield  to  Great  Barrington,  presently  left 
it  and  marched  his  men  along  a  back  road  running 
northwest  toward  the  State  line,  in  a  direction  that 


The  End  of  the  Fight  369 

would  intercept  the  rebels  if  they  struck  across  Egre- 
mont  to  New  York. 

He  adopted,  however,  the  precaution  of  leaving  a 
party  at  the  junction  of  the  main  road  with  the  road 
he  took,  so  that  if,  after  all,  instead  of  retreating  west 
ward  the  rebels  had  boldly  kept  on  the  main  road  to 
Sheffield,  word  might  be  sent  after  him.  It  so  hap 
pened  that  this  was  just  what  the  rebels  had  done. 
Not  having  the  fear  of  the  Sheffield  company  before 
their  eyes,  instead  of  trying  to  escape  to  New  York  by 
the  shortest  cut,  they  had  kept  on  toward  Sheffield, 
marching  south  by  the  main  road.  And  not  only  this, 
when  they  came  to  the  junction  of  the  main  road 
with  that  which  Colonel  Ashley  had  taken,  and  learned 
by  capturing  the  guard  what  plan  the  colonel  had  de 
vised,  they  became  so  enraged  that  instead  of  keeping 
on  to  Sheffield  and  leaving  the  militia  to  finish  their 
wild-goose  chase,  they  turned  into  the  back  road  after 
them,  and  so  the  hunters  became  the  hunted.  In  this 
way  it  happened  that  while  the  militia  were  pressing 
on  at  full  speed,  breathlessly  debating  their  chances  of 
heading  off  the  flying  rebels,  "bang,"  "bang,"  came  a 
volley  in  their  rear,  and  from  the  stragglers  who  had 
been  fired  upon  arose  a  cry : 

"  The  Shayites  are  after  us!  " 

It  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  militia  officers  that 
the  result  of  this  surprise  was  not  a  hopeless  panic 
among  their  men.  As  it  was,  for  several  minutes  utter 
confusion  reigned.  Then  one  of  the  companies  took  to 
the  woods  on  the  right,  the  other  entering  the  woods  on 
the  left,  and  marching  back  they  presently  came  in 
sight  of  their  pursuers,  still  pushing  on  pell-mell  in  the 
road.  The  militia  now  had  every  advantage,  and  Colo 
nel  Ashley  ordered  them  to  open  fire.  But  the  men 
24 


370  The  Duke  of  Stockbridge 

hesitated.  There,  intermingled  with  the  rebels,  their 
very  lineaments  plainly  to  be  seen,  were  the  prisoners, 
the  first  gentlemen  of  Stockbridge  and  of  the  county. 
To  pour  a  volley  in  upon  the  rebels  would  endanger 
the  lives  of  the  prisoners  as  much  as  those  of  the 
enemy.  Meanwhile  the  rebels  themselves  were  rapid 
ly  deploying  and  opening  fire.  The  militia  were  in 
danger  of  losing  all  their  advantage,  of  being  shot 
down  defenceless,  of  perhaps  losing  the  day,  all  owing 
to  the  presence  of  the  prisoners  in  the  enemy's  ranks. 
Again  Colonel  Ashley  gave  the  order  to  fire.  Again 
not  a  man  obeyed. 

"  We  can't  kill  our  friends,"  said  an  officer. 

"  God  have  mercy  on  their  souls,  but  pour  in  your 
fire !  "  roared  the  commander,  and  the  volley  was  given. 
The  prisoners  broke  from  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  and 
ran ;  the  firing  became  general.  For  five  or  ten  min 
utes  a  brisk  engagement  was  kept  up,  and  then  the 
rebels  broke  and  fled  in  every  direction.  The  Stock- 
bridge  and  Lenox  companies,  after  having  followed  the 
rebels  through  Great  Barrington  and  on  toward  Shef 
field,  had  also  turned  in  after  them  on  the  back  road, 
and  coming  up  behind  in  the  nick  of  time  had  attacked 
their  rear  and  caused  their  panic. 

Only  two  of  the  militia  had  been  wounded,  one  mor 
tally.  One  also  of  the  prisoners  had  proved  in  need 
of  Colonel  Ashley's  invocation.  Solomon  Gleason  had 
fallen  dead  at  that  first  volley  from  his  friends.  It 
was  generally  supposed  that  his  death  was  the  result  of 
a  chance  shot.  Peleg  Bidwell  was  never  heard  to  ex 
press  any  opinion  on  the  subject,  but  Peleg  was  a  very 
good  marksman. 

As  the  smoke  of  the  last  shot  floated  up  among  the 
tops  of  the  gloomy  pines  along  the  road,  some  thirty 


The  End  of  the  Fight  371 

killed  and  wounded  rebels  lay  on  the  trampled  and 
blood-stained  snow.  At  the  foot  of  a  tree  lay  Abner 
Rathbun,  mortally  wounded.  And  near  him,  his 
passionate,  troubled  heart  freed  from  its  burden,  was 
his  friend  and  chief,  the  fallen  Duke  of  Stockbridge, 
dead. 


THE   END 


The  Wall  Street 
Point  of  View 


A  Business   tMan's  Book  by  a  Business 

By    HENRY    CLEWS 


**J  |  ^HE  Wall  Street  Point  of  View,"  is  a  lively  discussion  of  the  business 
JL  interests  and  the  politics  of  the  country,  all  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
men  who  make  Wall  Street  the  real  business  center  of  the  United  States. 

The  four  parts  of  the  book  show  its  unique  scope:  Wall  Street  Itself;  Wall 
Street  and  the  Government;  Wall  Street  and  Social  Problems;  Wall  Street  and 
International  Affairs.  No  other  book  ever  published  attempts  to  cover  that  ground. 

Wall  Street  itself  receives  a  portrayal  astonishing  to  nearly  everybody.  Specula 
tion  plays  but  a  trifling  part,  compared  with  the  enormous  amount  of  the  legitimate 
business  of  the  country  which  centers  there.  Wall  Street  is  the  hub  of  American 
business,  and  the  farmer  needs  it  as  much  as  his  plough. 

The  maxims  of  modern  success  in  business  are  crisply  told.  How  to  get  rich  and 
yet  be  honest  is  the  subject  of  one  of  the  brightest  chapters.  The  chances  of  young 
men  to  make  fortunes  are  set  forth.  Indeed,  it  is  peculiarly  a  young  man's  book. 

All  the  business  problems  which  government  has  to  solve  are  discussed.  The 
Trusts,  the  Tariff,  the  Banks,  Silver,  Expansion  —  these  each  have  specific  atten 
tion  from  the  clear-headed  business  man's  point  of  view. 

What  all  the  Administrations  have  done  to  business,  from  1884  to  1900,  is 
reviewed  in  detail,  with  quaint  and  racy  style,  and  with  profound  good  sense. 

Busy  business  men  take  the  time  to  read  this  book.  For  Mr.  Clews  discusses 
all  the  problems  that  business  men  talk  about  every  day,  and  he  gives  his  views 
directly,  definitely,  and  picturesquely,  as  one  man  talks  to  another. 

306  Pages,  with  Photogravure  Portrait,  Price,  $1.50 

For  sale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  sent  postpaid  by  the  Publishers  on  receipt  of  price 


,  Buttiett  anti  Company 

gorft      ^Boston 


The  Heart  of  the 
Ancient  Wood 

By  CHARLES  G.  D.  ROBERTS 

Author  of  "The  Forge  in  the  Forest,"  "A  Sister 
to  Evangeline,"  "By  the  Marshes  of  Minas,"  etc. 


THIS  book  strikes  a  new  note  in  literature.  It  is  a  realistic  romance  of  the 
folk  of  the  forest — a  romance  of  the  alliance  of  peace  between  a  pioneer's 
daughter  in  the  depths  of  the  ancient  Wood  and  the  wild  beasts  who  felt  her  spell 
and  became  her  friends. 

It  is  unlike  any  other  book.  It  is  not  fanciful,  with  talking  beasts;  nor  is  it 
merely  an  exquisite  idyl  of  the  beasts  themselves.  It  is  an  actual  romance,  in  which 
the  chief  personages  are  a  maiden  and  a  bear,  and  the  bear  and  the  other  animals 
play  their  parts  naturally,  and  are  treated  with  the  same  psychological  interpreta 
tion  that  is  given  to  the  human  characters.  They  are  the  ordinary  beasts  the  hunter 
meets.  But  they  are  among  the  most  real  beings  to  be  found  in  literature. 

The  atmosphere  of  the  book  is  enchanting.  The  reader  feels  the  undulating, 
whispering  music  of  the  forest,  the  power  of  the  shady  silences,  the  dignity  of  the 
beasts  who  live  closest  to  the  heart  of  the  Wood. 

The  book  is  one  of  mounting  imagination.  It  is  a  daring  venture  away  from 
the  beaten  tracks  of  the  romance  that  glitters  with  swords  and  brocades,  to  a  region 
where  romance  had  to  be  discovered,  and  where  there  were  no  models  to  follow. 

But  Mr.  Roberts  knows  the  Wood  with  unmistaking  and  loving  intimacy,  and 
his  imagination  walks  with  convincing  certainty. 

272  Pages,  with  Illustrations.  Price,  $1.50 

"The  book  stands  alone — it  is  like  no  other.  The  talking  beasts  of  the  wondrous 
Jungle  tales  are  fabulous.  The  thinking  wild  animals  Mr.  Seton-Thompson  has 
known  are  character-studies.  But  in  "The  Heart  of  the  Ancient  Wood  '  here  is  a 
problem  drama.  The  imagination  is  subtler  than  in  the  adventures  of  Mowgli;  the 
reportorial  correctness  is  asunimpeachable  as  in  the  biography  of  Wahb;  and  in  ad 
dition  there  is  the  fact  of  a  master  novelist  turning  to  the  unfathomed  sympathies 
and  dramatic  possibilities  of  the  relation  of  the  human  to  the  animal  as  seriously 
and  as  analytically  as  Mr.  Howells  turns  to  his  familiar  people." — The  Criterion. 

For  tale  by  all  Booksellers,  or  tent  postpaid  by  the  Publisberi  on  receipt  tf  price 

|s>ttt)er»  BSurtiett  anti 

$eto  gotfc       Wton 


Charles  G.  D.  Roberts's 
Books 

The  Forge  in  the  Forest. 

Being  the  Narrative  of  the  Acadian  Ranger,  Jean  de  Mer, 
Siegneur  de  Briart,  and  how  he  crossed  the  Black  Abbe,  and 
of  his  Adventures  in  a  Strange  Fellowship. 

Illustrated  by  Henry  Sandbam.    Cloth,  deckle-edge  paper,  312  pp.,  $s.JO. 
The  first  of  a  trilogy  of  romances  of  the  convulsive  period  of  the  struggle  between  the 
French  and  English  for  the  possession  of  North  America.  The  Expulsion  of  the  Acadians 
is  foreshadowed  in  these  brilliant  pages. 

A  Sister  to  Evangeline. 

Being  the  Story  of  Yvonne  de  Lamourie,  and  how  she  went 
into  Exile  with  the  Villagers  of  Grande  Pre. 

New  illustrated  edition,  Cloth,  deckle-edge  paper,  gilt  top,  2()8  pp.,  fyl.JO. 
A  romance  of  the  great  Expulsion  of  the  Acadians  which  Longfellow  first  immortalized 
in  i'Evangeline."  Though  independent  of  "The  Forge  in  the  Forest,"  we  are  amid  the 
same  scenes  and  meet  again  some  of  the  marked  personages  of  that  prior  novel. 

By  the  Marshes  of  Minas. 

Illustrated.    Cloth,  uncut  edges,  gilt  top.   2^8  pp.,  $1.2$. 

This  is  a  volume  of  romance  of  love  and  adventure  in  that  picturesque  period  when  Nova 
Scotia  was  passing  from  the  French  to  the  English  regime,  of  which  Professor  Roberts  is  the 
acknowledged  celebrant.  Each  tale  is  independent  of  the  others,  but  the  scenes  are  similar. 
Most  of  these  romances  arc  in  the  author's  lighter  and  more  playful  vein. 

Earth's  Enigmas. 

Cloth,  uncut  edges.  296  pp.,  $1.2$. 

The  tales  deal  with  those  elemental  problems  of  the  mysteries  of  life  which  occur 
chiefly  to  the  primitive  folk  on  the  backwoods  fringe  of  civilization,  and  they  arrest  atten 
tion  for  their  sincerity,  their  freshness  of  first-hand  knowledge,  and  their  superior  craft. 

The  Heart  of  the  Ancient  Wood. 

Cloth.    Illustrated.   2J2  pp.,  $1.50. 

This  book,  which  strikes  a  new  note  in  literature,  is  a  realistic  romance  of  the  folk  of 
the  forest — a  story  of  the  alliance  of  peace  between  a  pioneer's  daughter  in  the  depths  ot 
the  Ancient  Wood  and  the  wild  beasts  who  felt  her  spell  and  became  her  friends.  It  is  a 
book  of  enchanting  atmosphere  and  mounting  imagination. 

A  History  of  Canada. 

Cloth,  heavy  paper,  gilt  top,  506  pp  ,  $2.00  net. 

This  book  is  of  particular  interest  to  Americans  for  its  independent  treatment  of  the 
many  questions  in  dispute  between  the  two  countries,  from  the  Revolution  to  the  present. 

The  Poems  of  Mr.  Roberts. 

SONGS  OF  THE  COMMON  DAY.   THE  BOOK  OF  THE  NATIVE. 
IN  DIVERS  TONES.  NEW  YORK  NOCTURNES. 

Cloth  and  gold,  $f.oo  each. 

These  volumes  include  Professor  Roberts's  poems  from  the  time  of  his  first  recognition 

as  a  master  poet.  The  wondrous  appreciation  of  nature,  the  sensibility  to  the  poetry  of  men 

in  crowds,  the  virile,  exalted  passion,  the  playfulness,  the  human  perspective,  the  craft  and 

the  music  of  his  later  volumes  which  determine  his  rank,  are  also  seen  in  the  earlier  works. 

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Ballads  of  American  Bravery. 

A  Collection  by  CLINTON  SCOLLARD.      230  pp.,  75  centt. 

A  stirring  and  unexcelled  collection  of  the  bravest  lyrics  which  celebrate  dc.eds  of  Amer 
ican  courage  and  patriotism.  The  ballads  arc  chosen  with  signal  discrimination  and  are 
edited  with  extensive  historical  notes. 

Songs  of  the  Nation. 

Compiled  by  Col.  CHARLES  W.  JOHNSON.      160  pp.,  ?&. 

A  superb  collection,  embodying  the  patriotic  songs  most  in  demand;  songs  for  anniver 
saries  and  occasions;  American  folk  songs;  a  group  of  religious  favorites;  the  best  college 
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Hawaii  and  its  People. 

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American  Writers  of  To-day. 

By  HENRY  C.  VEDDER.     340 pp.,  $1.50. 

Critical  and  sympathetic  analysis  of  nineteen  recent  American  authors  and  tkeir  books, 
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The  Old  Northwest. 

The  Beginnings  of  Our  Colonial  System.  By  B.  A.  HINS- 
DALE,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  in  the  University  of  Mich 
igan.  New  edition,  revised.  420  pp.;  $1.75. 

The  only  adequate  monograph  on  the  development  of  a  section  which  is  as  much  a  his 
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Historic  Pilgrimages  in  New  England. 

By  EDWIN  M.  BACON.      47&pp->  131  illustrations.  $1.50. 

The  narrative  of  early  New  England  and  its  high-souled  founders,  told  picturesquely  to 
readers  who  are  supposed  to  be  standing  on  the  very  spots  where  the  stirring  Colonial  drama 
was  enacted.  Of  keenest  interest  to  all  lovers  of  Yankee-land. 

The  Rescue  of  Cuba. 

An  Episode  in  the  Growth  of  Free  Government.  By 
ANDREW  S.  DRAPER,  LL-D.,  President  of  the  University  of 

Illinois.        IQ2  pp.  Elegantly  and  profusely  illustrated.  $1.30. 
A  judicious  and  inspiring  presentation  of  the  War  with  Spain  as  another  and  important 
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problems^!  has  left  for  our  solution.  "It  reads  like  a  novel,"  says  Lyman  Abbott.  "It  is 


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